Just Say Yes
by BlackBirdSingin
Summary: Emelia has always been a people pleaser. That's probably the reason she ended up becoming a total stranger's fake girlfriend. Or: How Emelia Renaldi got a boyfriend, got married and saved the Wizard World all before she learned to just say "no".
1. Where Emelia's Story Begins

A/N: This is something that I have been toying with writing for awhile and I finally decided to realise it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter character's nor anything else that is recognizable.

Hope you like it!

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><p>"Alright, Gran. I get it." I chuckled. "I'm so old I should be thinking about retiring and moving in to a home."<p>

"And maybe buying some new shoes." She eyed my worn-out trainers before looking pointedly at me, the twinkle in her eye the only thing to betray her serious expression. "You're going to hurt yourself running about in those. They look like Charlie got hold of them and—"

"Yes, I know." I interrupted her, suppressing the urge to sigh. "They belong with Charlie's chew toys. Charlie would even be ashamed of them. I should be appalled at my choice of footwear. I am a lady and should therefore dress like one…" I joked lightly, listing off various reasons from her past lectures about my appearance.

Gran sent me a reproachful look for my cheekiness and I ducked my head sheepishly. I honestly had not meant to mouth off to Gran. I was just a bit tired of hearing the same talks from her everyday.

I love my Gran, I do, but she is extremely worried about me finding a husband; and a suitable one at that. She thinks that I am in danger of being an old spinster. She claims I am neglecting everything she taught me about being a delicate and feminine woman and, as such, will only attract "ne'er do well cads." And she lets me know this. Constantly.

Cue the current conversation…

"All I am trying to say, Emelia, is that surely it couldn't be too much trouble to go out and get yourself a new pair. I'd rather you not wear them at all, if we're on the topic. There are much better choices more suited for a young woman such as yourself. Something more becoming of a lady." Gran looked hopefully at me.

"I have to fetch some stuff from the Pharmacy tomorrow, perhaps I'll have a look at the shops while I'm there." I placated her. I knew I'd only ever end up glancing at the displays as I walked past, but surely that was enough of a look to know that I liked my current trainers much better than anything in the shops. Anyway, I have a hard time saying no to Gran.

Come to think, I actually have a hard time saying no to anyone, but especially Gran. And how could I? She raised me. She has only ever been after what is in my best interest and I couldn't love her more for it.

"Thank you." She smiled, relieved that, perhaps, I had finally understood the "severity" of my situation. I relaxed, grateful she was off the topic. "Now, — Emelia, cease that slouching this instant! It is lazy and laziness is most unbecoming for a lady."

I straightened my posture quickly. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Now, where was I? Yes, why not put the kettle on, Emelia? I think some tea sounds lovely right now."

I rose from my chair, trying to be as graceful as possible so as to avoid another lecture, before exiting to the kitchen. As I was reaching for the cups, I heard the front door open and close before a quick scratching of claws skittered across the floor and Charlie, Gran's cocker spaniel, jumped on my leg. "Hello, Charlie." I laughed before scratching behind his ears affectionately. "Would you like to join me and Gran for tea?" I inquired, smiling down at him.

"That would be wonderful, thanks." I heard a voice from the doorway. Looking up, I saw my brother leaning casually against the doorframe, smiling broadly.

"How convenient that you just happen to come back at just the right time." I accused him, amused at his innate ability to easily avoid Gran's lectures. "You've just missed a talk on my shoes and my impending old age."

"Really, dear sister, I had thought you were way past the acceptable age for marriage ages ago. We have all just been waiting for you to keel over. I'm surprised you've managed this long. How old are you again? 22?" He sniffed, pretending to be nauseatingly posh, spreading his shoulders and lifting his chin to look down his nose at me. By the end of it though, he couldn't stop the smile itching at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, dear brother, you forget I have but 21 years, but, alas, you are right!", I sighed dramatically. "How can I ever hope to family, let alone marriage, when I am practically suited for great-grandchildren? Can you imagine, brother, 22 and no great-grandchildren?" I gasped,seemingly stricken at such a horrendous thought.

"How utterly dreadful a thought, sister dear. You really ought to start thinking seriously on taking a husband and settling down. Merlin knows how long you'll be able to hide those grey hairs sprouting." This time, he couldn't contain the cheshire-like smile that accompanied his ruffling retort.

"Oh, woe is me! It seems I may have to start borrowing your hair dye if I ever want a chance at love!", I exclaimed, turning in an attempt to conceal my giggling.

"Oi! I do not dye my hair!" His feigned pretentious attitude dropped suddenly.

I turned to give him my most innocent look. "No?" I batted my eyelashes and frowned slightly. "I thought surely an old man of 25 such as yourself would have need of such things to conceal his age, lest he mar his chances of successfully wooing the young ladies of London." I smiled, knowing I had him with that comment. He would never stand for being called old and incapable of attracting women.

"I am n— You take that back!"

I grinned impishly at him before sticking my tongue out and prancing back to the cooker to retrieve the kettle.

Pouring three cups, I set them on a tray and carried it out to the sitting room.

"Gran, look who is home from his walk with Charlie," I exclaimed, enthusiastic at having my brother home to talk to. Maybe Gran would focus a bit less on my love life with someone else around.

"Elian, you are just in time for tea!" my grandmother smiled happily.

"Thank you, Gran.", he smiled warmly at her before turning to me as if seeing me for the first time. "Remy, what has ever happened to your shoes? Isn't your birthday coming up? 22, yes?" He smiled widely at me, challenging him to try and get my Gran off the topic now. I glowered at him, silently promising revenge.

"I was just saying to Emelia how a new pair would be most welcome for her." I whined a bit before attempting to bury my head in my arms. "Emelia, dear, don't whine. It's most unbecoming for a lady."

A bit later, tea is over and I kiss Gran and Leo(My brother's nick name. He hates being called Elian, but Gran insists on our proper names) goodbye. I grab my bag and rush out the door. I've only just realized how late I am.

Running up to the small building, I tug my uniform top down before attempting to fix my windblown hair, my grandmothers comments about looking presentable drifting round my mind. I push through the doors in to a barrage of high-pitched screams and laughter. All at once, a rush of small children run at me. "Miss Remy! Miss Remy!"

I kneel down to better see them. "Hi, guys!", I exclaim excitedly. "What have you lot been up to today?"

Their answers all come at once, overlapping each other before drifting off as they stare at me expectantly. I laugh and ruffle the nearest boys hair.

"Well, it seems as if you are having a good time. Maybe you don't need me today." I smiled and made to leave before 20 small hands reached out to stop me, crying out in earnest. "Alright, I'll stay, but you have to catch me first!", I laughed before scooping up the nearest child and taking off towards the play gym.

A chorus of "Hey!"s and giggles erupted behind me as they ran after me.

I love working with kids. Their innocent and kind nature is refreshing and they can always make life simple. There isn't a worry about getting married or finding the right man to marry or even where you would get the money to pay for your grandmother's care. To kids, it was as simple as deciding to be happy.

I tell them everyday that the reason I volunteer here is to learn from them.

Halfway to the play area I looked up from trying to avoid stepping on various trucks and blocks to see myself quickly approaching a tall figure in the middle of the floor. I managed to stop my self just short of barreling into him, but forgot about the young and uncoordinated legs behind me. A few of the kids knocked into the back of me.

Some ran right past the man, but one was not so lucky as to escape the unfortunate occurrence of tumbling into the man's legs. I reached for the boy, while simultaneously stepping back to allow the man room to turn around.

I take Michael's hand and look up apologetically at the man, ready to apologize profusely for the accident, hoping that he is understanding.

Just as I see his face, I stop. Perfectly, tousled dark brown locks, a couple stray pieces falling into his eyes, sparkling brown eyes, and a very handsome face made me almost forget myself. After a momentary pause, I blushed slightly and recovered from my staring —"Most unbecoming, Emelia." my Gran's voice echoed in my head— to finish my apology.

"I'm very sorry, sir! I didn't notice you until the last second. I should have been paying closer attention…" I trailed off as he smiled slightly at me.

"It's quite alright." He stated quickly. "Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Of course!", I exclaimed without thinking. Anything to make anyone happy. "What can I help you with, sir?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a picture with me?" There wasn't a stitch of hesitation when he asked. He smirked, as if knowing I wouldn't turn him down.

"Erm… I suppose." I was uncomfortable, but I'm sure this guy had a good reason for this, right? What harm could one picture do? I kneeled down next to Michael, intending to tell him to go play before I realized him staring wide-eyed at the man, seemingly in awe.

Looking over, I realized the stranger was kneeling next to the two us, his arm extended, signaling us to get closer. I quickly scooted myself next to the man's side while keeping Michael's hand in my own.

Tousled Locks stretched his arm around my shoulders and put his other hand on Michael's shoulders before looking up at a business-y woman I had failed to notice before now.

"Big smiles everyone!" Her voice was overly cheery.

I looked at her, confused, before quickly realizing that she would be taking the picture. I smiled quickly and, hopefully, brightly, before the picture was taken.

Brown Eyes stood up quickly, smirking at the lady. "I told you I can do volunteer work."

"Not without me threatening to snap your broom, James.", she snapped. "Now, I'm going to go make a couple arrangements for a few interviews and…" She trailed off realizing the man was no longer next to her but rather walking away while talking on his phone.

The woman huffed and fixed her blazer. "The thanks I get for putting up with this git.", she mumbled, exasperated.

I stared after the two, still wondering about what just happened. I felt a tugging on my top. "Do you know who that was, Miss Remy?" Michael looked at me excitedly. Distractedly, I shook my head.

What were they doing at the Children's Center? I looked down to address Michael and only then realized he had already run off to the other kids, no doubt retelling his story that I hadn't heard a word of.

Brushing myself off, I stood. Perhaps one of the other volunteers would know what just happened. I'd have to ask before I needed to leave for my shift at the hospital. I walked off in search of the other volunteers.


	2. How James crashes Emelia's story

**A/N: This is going to be one of what will probably only be a few of the chapters from James' perspective. It is Emelia's story, but I figured we all could use a little perspective from James as well, eh? Enjoy!**

"Alright, Lisa. I get it," I said, unenthusiastically. "I need to be doing more things to boost my image. What were you saying about community service?"

"Why not go help the elderly or help clean parks or volunteer at the Children's center—"

"Fine," I cut her off. "That one's great. I'll meet you there in an hour." I really didn't want to go, but if it got her off my back, I'd do anything.

She started nagging me again about looking good in the public's eye in order to make more money.

"The public loves me. And I always look good." I winked at her before turning to leave the flat.

"James, I'm serious! You can't just expect—"

"Right. One hour, Kids Corner, volunteering, yeah? Yeah. Okay see you later, love." I left before she could get another word in.

Merlin, that woman loved to talk! I'm a famous quidditch player, I haven't got all day to stand around and talk about irrelevant things such as business. That's what I pay her for. I get payed to win matches.

Two hours later I pulled up to the Children's Center. Stepping out, I was immediately ambushed by a very annoyed and very annoying manager.

"Are you kidding me, James? I have been here for two hours! You said you were going to take this seriously!" she hissed.

"I'm here now, yeah? Lets get this going, I have a practice to get to and a qualifying game to prepare for."

"Oh, no. You are going to stay here and do this. You cannot beg off this time like every other time! I am going to go call the press so that…" I was already walking through the doors into the building.

I walked into the middle of the room before stopping to look around. I truly had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. There were kids running everywhere and doing everything. It was utter chaos.

I turned, looking for someone that looked like they knew what they were doing, someone older than 5 years old. I didn't stand too long before a small force rammed into the back of my legs. I hear a small gasp as I turn to find out who had just assaulted my legs. I needed those for quidditch!

A woman was standing there, looking up at me wide-eyed. I could tell she was ready to apologize fervently for whatever just happened. She took a second after I turned around before she was blushing and quickly giving me her apology.

"I'm very sorry sir. I didn't notice you until the last second! I should have been paying closer attention…" Brilliant. Someone who could help me get what I needed to get out of here. I smiled and she trailed off in her apology.

"It's quite alright." I said quickly. I don't have time for sincere, yet well deserved, mind you, apologies.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" The press was taking too long to get here. For Godric's sake, couldn't they just apparate over here? How long did they think I had to wait? I'll just take a picture with this girl and that should be good enough, yeah?

"Of course!" She seemed a bit taken aback, just as I was, by her eagerness. Her smile fell for an instant and she nervously bit her lip, thinking, before looking back to me. "What can I help you with, sir?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a picture with me?" Of course she wouldn't. Who would?

She looked wary, unsure of her self now. "Erm… I suppose."

I smiled at her, hoping it would reassure her enough to have her go through with it, but she didn't seem to notice. She was looking off, biting her lip again.

Suddenly, she knelt down to a little boy that seemingly appeared from nowhere. Had he been here the whole time? He was perfect anyway, now the picture would be even more realistic.

Kneeling down next to the two, I motioned Lisa over to take the picture and I stretched my arm out to get them to come in closer. I had to make this look good. I casually placed my arm around the girl's shoulders and one hand on the little boy's shoulder before smiling easily up at the camera Lisa had.

To anyone who saw this, it would look like I was having a right nice time playing with the kids and volunteering.

"Big smiles, everyone!" Lisa trilled.

"I told you I can do volunteer work," I said smugly before taking out my phone. Unlocking it, I noticed a new message from my friend Fred. Practice was starting early today!

I dialed Fred's number before bringing the phone to my ear and starting to walk away. I could hear Lisa saying something behind me. Probably nothing important. I quickly stepped to my car before getting in and speeding off to practice.

HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP HP

"…And if Mulhaley would just pull his head out of his arse far enough to see the bludgers coming at him—"

"We have this, Fred. No need to go worrying on about it. We already are the best, no doubt about it! Although, you are right about Mulhaley, big head that one." I walked into my flat, Fred trailing behind me.

"I'm absolutely knackered, mate, but I'm also starved. Got anything to eat?" He asked hopefully, already headed toward the kitchen. I shrugged and gestured for him to have a look.

Just as Fred left, the fire burning in the living room sputtered and sizzled a bit. I looked over. Who would be calling right now? Al's head appeared in the fire.

"James!"

I groaned loudly enough for him to hear. "Not now, Al. I've just got home from practice and I'm really not in the mood to have a long conversation right now."

"This is more than a social call, James. Mum wants us all to come to dinner at the house next Sunday. She says you can bring a girl if you like, though we all know that won't happen." He smirked at me, knowing this was a sore subject with me.

My family has been concerned very recently about my choosing to be single. They can't understand why I would want to spend all my time on quidditch rather than finding a girl.

Al, the least concerned of them, always took pride in being able to show off his girlfriends when I only brought Fred to dinner with me. He thinks he's finally beaten me at something because he has managed to get some bird to agree to go steady with him.

"Don't worry, James. I'm sure mum will understand." he taunted me. "You haven't brought home a girl in the last, what has it been? 2 years? I'm sure no one expects—"

"I'm entirely capable of dating, Al," I finally cut in, tired of hearing him shove it in my face.

He snorted. "Sure, James." He started laughing to himself, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "You crack me up, you know that?" He started shaking with laughter.

"I have a girlfriend!" I exclaimed indignantly, without thinking. I had the pleasure of watching his eyes widen in shock before he processed what I had said and started to laugh again.

"Good one, James. Now, just bring Freddie along. I'm sure he would appreciate the food."

Outraged at his easy dismissal of my all too obvious lie, I couldn't hold back what I went to say next. "I have a girlfriend, you git. Just because you don't know about her, doesn't mean she doesn't exist." Yes it does. "She's far better than anything you manage to drag in." Maybe that was too far.

"Yeah? Well, lets see her then," Al easily called my bluff. "She must be in your flat now, being as you two are _so_ serious…" he lead, knowing that I would have to admit to my lie now.

It would be a cold day in hell before I ever let Al win. "She's not in at the moment." I smiled at him, proud of my quick thinking.

"Come now, James. Surely you can be more creative than that," he drawled.

I rolled my eyes. Why couldn't this kid just take my word for it and let it drop? Would I ever lie to him? Oh, wait…

"A picture, then! Surely you've loads of pictures of her on your mobile." He smirked, he thought he had me. All I had to do was search for some picture of a random girl and send it to him.

Retrieving my mobile from my coat pocket, I scrolled through my photos on the way back to the fireplace. Every photo in there was one with a girl that my family had already seen from various articles about my many nights out.

"Well?" The git knew I didn't have a one to show him. Panicking slightly , I hit the last photo on the phone. It was of me generously volunteering with that girl from the Children's Center and some little boy. Good enough.

I made a show of sending him the photo.

He snorted, humored by what I assume was the photo appearing on his phone. "You're meaning to tell me that this is your girlfriend? And what, is that your son that you two saved from rogue dementors and are raising together? Oh, I'm sure the family can't wait to hear about this."

I panicked slightly. This wasn't supposed to go this far! Al was supposed to believe my story like an idiot and I would go to the dinner, claiming that I had broken up with the girl.

Seeing, my panicked look, Al smiled in understanding.

He knew.

There was no way I was letting him win though. I quickly gave him a "You're an idiot" look to cover up for my slip.

"Alright then. Hey, everyone! James has got himself a girl! Come see her!" he shouted over his shoulder, smiling evilly at me.

"Al!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "I'm sure they would be happy for you, James-y."

I groaned as a bunch of squeals could be heard from my sister and mother exclaiming over the photo. Why did they all have to be together right now?

"I have to go, Mum! See you tomorrow! Love you!" I managed to get in over her constant questions about the girl in the photo. I quickly put the fire out, but only managed to stare at the resulting ashes.

I couldn't answer a single one of those questions. Merlin, I didn't even know that girl's name let alone what she wants to eat for dinner!

I scowled at the ashes. Al knew. He knew that I didn't have a girlfriend and that I wouldn't be able to resist saying I had one just to one up him. He wanted me to look ridiculous in front of my family. Now he thinks I'll have to come clean at dinner tomorrow or I'll be forced to lie about a break up, in which case, he'll know anyway that I never had the girl in the first place.

I groaned loudly before flopping over on the ground. What did I just get myself into?

Fred's footsteps accompanied his inquiry, "So, tell me about this girl."


	3. Tousled Locks and Tea

**A/N: So now you know the characters, its time to get to the real beginning of the story, right? This chapter doesn't go straight into the action, but it does get the ball rolling. Enjoy!**

**(Side note: We are back to Emelia's perspective.)**

Ugh! I can't believe it chose today of all days to rain! I usually love the rain, but just not when I'm trying to help paint a new mural for the freshly cleaned and re-done park.

And it's not as if I could just charm the mural to keep it dry. This was a muggle park. It would have been a bit suspicious if little Tasha's hair was sopping while her caricature of a man walking his dog was staying perfectly dry.

I decided to forget about the mural and started rounding up all of the children. I herded them over to another volunteer, smiling gratefully at them when they agreed to take them under shelter. Once everyone had managed to safely get somewhere dry, I turned back to the mural. Shame that it couldn't get done today. It really was going to be spectacular when it was done.

Smiling to myself, I quickly charmed a small section before dipping my hands in red paint and placing them on a section of the wall where there were numerous other hand prints from the kids and volunteers.

As I touched my hands to the wall, a second pair of arms came on either side of mine and pressed their blue hands to the wall, just above my own hand prints. Jumping slightly, I whirled to face my company.

He was right behind me and, when I turned, was right in front of me.

"Oh." I gasped lightly. "I'm so sorry." Why was I apologizing? "I didn't know anyone else was here and I just wanted to…to finish…Well, I just wanted to get my hands on the wall, I suppose." I took a step back as I explained, gesturing lightly at the wall.

My eyes widened as a thought came to me. Had he noticed that it was not raining over this particular section of the wall? Would he be suspicious if he looked up and this spot was clear of rainfall?

"It's okay." He smiled good-naturedly. "I'm not a muggle." he reassured me. Had he read my thoughts? He gently shook out his wet hair (had he already been in the rain?), his brown locks twisting before settling themselves a little messier than before on his head.

Wait, brown locks? Was this Tousled Locks from the other day? The one that actually happened to be at a couple different places I was volunteering since that day? I scrutinized his face. Yes, the very same Tousled Locks.

Merlin, did this man look even better when sopping wet. He was dressed much the same as the first day I saw him. Casual slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked like a model out of one of those catalogues Gran is always trying to get me to look at for new clothes.

Quickly recovering from my reverie, I smiled politely at him, remembering Gran's training. "Right. Is there something you needed help with, sir?"

He smiled brightly at me. "Yes, actually. I was hoping to speak with you about something."

With me? Surely he wanted to talk with the volunteer coordinators, not me."I can go find the coordinator if you would like to speak to her? I don't know that I can be of very much help, sir." I hope that he wouldn't be mad at having to wait for me to go find someone that could help me.

He tilted his head slightly, looking amused. "Nope. I'm certain that you're the one that is going to be able to help me."

Oh, what had I just gotten myself into? For all I knew, this man could be a rapist or an escaped convict. He might just drag me off to who knows where and do Merlin knows what to me.

Well, at least he would be an extremely good looking rapist if anything…

I smiled and shook my head slightly at my ridiculous thoughts. Acquiescing to rape just because the guy is good looking. Only me.

Looking back to him, I decided I couldn't say no to him unless I wanted to offend him. "Okay. What can I help you with then?" I asked cheerfully.

He smiled sheepishly and reached to scratch the back of his head. Nervous, then. Had I made him uncomfortable? Oh, gosh, I hadn't been to make him uncomfortable. What had I said?

"Would you like to go somewhere dry to talk?" He asked, looking scarred of my response.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to keep you out in this!" How could I be so inconsiderate. He needed help and all I was doing was helping to subject him to a cold. I hurriedly collected my things and went back to him.

"Forgive me. I didn't even think that the rain would bother you." He looked quizzically at me before gesturing for me to follow along next to him.

We walked into a small cafe across the street from the park where he led us to a small table in the back of the shop. He pulled out a chair for me and gestured for me to sit before he pulled out his own chair and sat down.

I sat down lightly, with my back straight and my hands folded neatly in my lap. If only Gran could see me now. I waited as he gathered himself. He looked to be debating over something. I smiled kindly at him, hoping to ease whatever was troubling him. He gave me a small, measured smile back before continuing to stare out the window next to us. I was getting a little apprehensive, but I couldn't let it show.

A waitress approached our table and asked if she could get us anything. The man - didn't I know his name?- looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, no thank you. Nothing for me. I didn't bring my purse along." I explained to the waitress. She only nodded distractedly and kept her gaze riveted on the man.

Clearly she expected more attention from him; perhaps even a compliment. She was very pretty, after all. Her blonde, highlighted, tresses curled and framing her face, easily flowed over her form-fitting uniform top that was unbuttoned just enough to show her ample cleavage. She was very pretty, yet he only spared her a quick smile before turning back to me.

"I insist. It's the least I could do after dragging you in here." He told me earnestly. When I looked doubtful, he added in a "Please?" Not wanting to disappoint him, I asked the waitress for a cup of tea. The man smiled, and turned to the waitress.

"I'll have the same, thanks." He said easily, winking at the waitress. She smiled largely at him, excited as his obvious interest in her, before flouncing off to put in our order. The man turned back to me, nervous once again.

I waited patiently for him to begin, though I was extremely curious as to what he could want to ask me.

He cleared his throat lightly before starting uneasily, "So, I'm not quite sure how to start this…" I waited for him to gather his thoughts a little more. He finally found his courage before speaking again. This time, he was more sure of himself. "I have seen you around, volunteering, and you are the perfect person to help me with this. I need you to be my girlfriend."

My breathing hitched. I didn't expect this. "I'm sorry?" I asked incredulous. There was no way that I had hear that right.

"Yeah, it's simple, really. Come to dinner with me and my family. Tell them you're my girlfriend.

Not all too hard, I don't think." He smiled confidently at me, sure that I wasn't going to turn him down. I wasn't even all too sure that I would turn him down. Sometimes, I really don't like being such a people pleaser.

"I'm really sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that I don't understand…"

He sighed, a little upset that I hadn't outright jumped up and agreed to do it on the spot. "Okay," he ran his hand through his hair. "My brother, Al, is always rubbing it in my face that he manages to bring home girlfriends all the time, no matter that they are mostly bonkers the lot of them, and yesterday he invited me to dinner with my parents. They all keep expecting me to bring a girl home with me, but I'm too busy training to pay any proper attention to a girl. I had to tell him that I had a girlfriend though, just so he wouldn't win this round. I'm always supposed to win. I'm the older one," he finished exasperatedly, looking to me.

I still didn't understand what this had to do with me. "I still don't understand what this has to do with me." My eyes widened slightly and I blushed. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I'm sorry." I quickly recovered. "What I meant to say was just that I still don't completely understand how I would be able to help you." Gran would kill me for being so rude.

He smirked at me, his full confidence back upon my stuttering and blush. He probably thought I was taken with him, the way I couldn't collect myself. He was very good looking, but I haven't even known him ten minutes!

"You'll be my girlfriend for the dinner. Help me convince my family that I am not going to die of old age before I get married and help my sister Lily from trying to set me up with her gay friends." He seemed very proud of his plan.

I started to respond before the waitress walked up with our order. She set my cup down in front of me roughly before bending over to set the man's down right in front of him, most likely giving him a perfect view of her exposed chest. Mysteriously, a few more of the buttons on her top had come undone to reveal even more of herself.

"Let me know if you need anything else, Honey." she purred before biting her lip and turning to walk away, swaying her hips as she went. James stared appreciatively after her.

I waited for him to realize that I was still sitting there before I responded. When he turned back to me, still pleased with himself that the waitress was practically throwing herself at him, he looked at me expectantly.

"I'm really sorry, sir—"

"James."

"Pardon?"

"My name. It's James."

"Oh, right, yes, well, James, I don't believe that I can help you with what you're asking"

He looked genuinely upset that I had just turned down his offer. He didn't think I would be able to resist, but I just wasn't sure about this whole thing.

"Well….." he trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should have… Emelia. My name is Emelia."

He smiled, gratefully. "Well, Emelia, I know that you are the perfect person to help me with this."

"If you don't mind my asking, why am I the perfect person? Surely you know a person much better suited for…this. If you'll forgive me, I hardly know you!" Why couldn't he just ask that waitress? She seems very eager to be his girlfriend.

At my questioning, James looked sheepish again. "Well, erm… I already told my brother about you and may have showed him a picture of us to convince him that you're in fact real. He showed the picture to my whole family and now they think you're real too."

"Oh…" With nothing much to say, I sipped my tea while keeping my gaze down.

"Yeah… So, I will pick you up to go to dinner tomorrow, we can talk a little more then." He made to leave money for the bill on the table so he could leave. Did he really think I had just agreed to this plan? "Oh, wear something nice." He winked at me.

He really thinks that I just agreed to this plan.

"I'm sorry, sir — er, James. I still don't believe that I can help you here—"

"Right, yes. How much is it going to cost me?"

I spluttered. "Pardon?" I asked disbelievingly. What did I look like? Looking down at myself, I made sure that my top was not too tight, too short, or too low-cut.

I was actually wearing a baggy, grey jumper today. My jeans were form-fitting, but the jumper covered a portion of the top of them. My shoes were definitely nowhere near as attractive as the lovely jumper I was wearing. The same ones Gran was always on about? Yeah, those. They had rips across the top layer of fabric and the rubber soles were dirty and there was a hole in one of the backs of the heels. They were covered in mud and paint for Godric's sake!

I knew there was no way, anyone would ever mistake me for some type of escort or anything of the like.

"I'll give you a thousand galleons." At my still disbelieving expression he quickly went on, "Two thousand galleons!"

"James, I apologize for—"

"Five thousand galleons." He hissed urgently.

Did he think he could just go throwing money around and it would help him? Especially that much money. Surely he couldn't have that much money on hand to just do whatever he pleased with it.

That bit irked me. Some people had to be careful with their money. Not everyone could just go spending it on what they liked when they liked. They had to pay medical bills and for food and for other basic needs!

I looked at him, trying to control my cross expression. _"A lady smiles even when she is upset, Emelia. A smile is much more becoming than a scowl."_ my Gran's lessons came to me.

"I'm really not in this for you money, sir. I just don't think this is a good idea. Surely your family would be much happier if you found a girl that you actually cared about?" I asked almost pleadingly. I knew that if he asked one more time, I would never be able to say no.

James knew it too. He pouted dramatically before throwing in a quiet "Please?"

That's it. I was done for. I found my self nodding quietly while looking away. I didn't want to look at him. He knew I couldn't say no!

"Is that a yes? Just say yes."

"Yes, alright!" I burst, exasperated. I quickly straightened at looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry." I apologized for snapping. "Yes, I will go to dinner and pretend to be your girlfriend."

He smiled proudly at having won me over. He seemed the type to always get what he wanted. "I knew you'd come round." he said as he chucked me under the chin. "So, I will be in touch with you, but, for now, I have to get to practice. See you later, Emelia."

"Good bye, James" I responded politely. After he had left, I decided to finish my tea. I was going to need it to keep me from freaking out.

The waitress came over excitedly, apparently hoping James was still there. Her smile dropped instantly when she realized it was just me at the table. I smiled apologetically at her. James had obviously forgotten all about her in his efforts to get what he wanted. She picked up the money for the bill before stomping away.

As I finished my tea, there was only one thing I could think, "Is it really so hard for me to just say no?"


	4. How James crashes Emelia's lunch

**A/N: So this is sorta where we get to see the first instance of James and Emelia being perceived as a couple, but will it get Emelia into a spot of trouble? You'll see what I mean.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I wasn't quite sure if I should bring up what happened in the cafe yesterday to my brother and grandmother. Thinking back on the event, it seems utterly ludicrous that it even happened. Yet, here I was, sitting across the table from Leo and Gran, trying to find the best possible way to tell them that I wouldn't be able to make it to dinner tonight because I let some stranger buy my time and now I had to go to dinner with his family, all while pretending to be the bloke's girlfriend.<p>

Yeah. This should go over smoothly.

"So, Remy, what's on your mind? Boys on the brain?" My brother looked at me conspiratorially. It was amazing how well he knew me.

I quickly ducked my head, trying to hide my blush. He may have seen, but there was no way he could know the reason for the sudden coloring in my cheeks.

"Emelia, sit up, please. And stop trying to hide your face, please. You have such a lovely face, with your mother's eyes. I know she would have been proud of you. Both of you," she said, turning to look at my brother.

How was I supposed to tell her now? She had just compared me to my mother and said that she would have been proud! I wanted to cry at how unfair this was starting to become. I couldn't disappoint Gran. She would be so upset with me, knowing that I practically sold myself to some guy I didn't even know.

If I told her I was doing it for her, would that make it better? Obviously, I didn't need the money, and, yeah, I was a push over, but, ultimately, I just didn't want to be such a disappointment to Gran. Maybe pretending to go out with a guy would lead me to finding one that I would actually go out with.

"Actually, Gran, I have something to say." I plucked up as much courage as I could and look at her, determined. "I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight because…" She was looking at me excitedly, probably hoping that I had plans with a guy after what Leo said. "…because…" Oh, sod it. "I am meeting up with a few friends for dinner plans."

Gran looked a little disappointed that there was no mention of a possible romance, but smiled reassuringly at me anyway. "That's quite alright dear. I'm sure Leo and I can manage just fine. I've been meaning to have a talk with this one anyway," she said turning to Leo.

Leo glared at me. I mouthed a sorry at him. I hadn't meant to leave him to Gran's talks, although he does it to me all the time. At that second, my mobile rang.

"I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me, I'll just see who this is." I excused my self from the table. "Hello?"

"Emelia, it's James."

"Good morning, James," I responded cheerily. How had he gotten my number?

"My manager got your phone number for me after I realized yesterday that I forgot to ask for it. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all!" Maybe a little, but I wasn't going to say that. "What can I help you with?"

He chuckled lightly. "Do you always look to help everyone, Emelia?"

I don't see what was so amusing about my willingness to help people. It's why I became such an active volunteer.

Not getting much of a response from me, he continued, "I was thinking I could swing by and pick you up now? I am already out and I figured it would actually be a good thing to get to know you before I pretend that I live with you."

"I am out to lunch right now, but I should be home shortly," I told him, my mind drifting back to telling Gran about the whole thing.

"Brilliant! I will be by shortly to come get you. See you then, Emelia!" He hung up before I could even comprehend what he had just said.

"Wait! I'm not….at home," I said, despite already knowing that he wouldn't hear me. Was he coming here to get me? I quickly checked over my shoulder. He couldn't know where I was, right?

"Sorry about that," I apologized as I approached the table. Just as I was about to pull out my chair I looked up to see none other than James walking towards us. I couldn't help the jaw drop reaction I had when I saw him.

"Emelia, close your mouth! Young ladies should not take up such an unappealing look."

"It's most unbecoming, Emelia." My brother's smug reply morphed into the end of my grandmothers.

"I'm sorry, it's just," How could I prepare them was going to inevitably happen in about ten seconds? Play off James as a friend from work? "I just noticed that one of the people I'm supposed to be meeting tonight is right over there. He very much surprised me is all." Perhaps they wouldn't be too interested in meeting him.

"How lovely! Bring your friend over, dear. I'd like to meet him." Well, there went that plan.

I bit my lip nervously as I walked the last few steps to meet James. He smiled brightly at me before checking his watch quickly. He didn't seem to notice my apprehension.

"Good morning!" He said lightly. He was obviously in a very good mood. Before I could stop him, he leaned down placed a small kiss on my cheek. No doubt Gran and Leo saw that. How would I explain him now?

"Good morning, James," I responded automatically.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Erm, not quite…" I mumbled. "I'm here with my Gran and brother and…. they want to meet you…if it's not too much trouble, that is." I smiled shyly at him. He looked over my shoulder to where I had gestured, before looking back to me.

"No problem at all!" He flashed me his smirk. I'm beginning to think that he has it trademarked. He whirled me around and place a gentle hand on my back before striding over to the table where my family sat.

Gran and leo looked up from whatever hushed conversation they were having and Gran smiled. Leo looked at James, judging him. Before anyone could say anything potentially dangerous to my sanity, I started introductions.

"James, this is my grandmother and my brother Leo." James took each of their hands for a shake. "Grandmother, Leo, this is James, my er… friend," I finished lamely.

"Wonderful to be meeting you, James. Such a handsome young lad! And how do you know our Emelia?"

I nearly stopped breathing. Please don't mention the word girlfriend. _Please_ don't mention the world girlfriend. Please don't mention the word _girlfriend_.

"I have had the fortune of volunteering with Emelia a few times." He smiled at me.

"Oh, how lovely! And, if you don't mind my asking, dear. What is it that you do for work?" I was getting more and more nervous by the question.

"I am a quidditch player, ma'am."

"That's nice, dear," she intoned politely. She was clearly disappointed that James was not some upstanding and honest businessman. James looked over at me curiously, obviously picking up on my grandmother's disappointment. I just shook my head slightly.

"Right, well, Gran, I have had a lovely time with you at lunch today, but I think I should be going. I don't want to be late for my dinner plans." I lent down and quickly kissed each of her cheeks before standing.

Leo grinned evilly at me. "I'll talk to you later, Remy." And I heard the promise in his words. He was going to badger me about this the first chance he got.

"Good bye, Elian," I begrudgingly said, knowing Gran would chastise me for being impolite had I not.

I quickly walked off in the direction James had just come from. Behind me, I could hear him saying goodbye to my family.

I waited until we had gotten a suitable distance before I rounded on him. "I thought you said you were going to come to my flat when I got home?"

"But then I figured I was already out, so why not?" His smile annoyed me at the moment.

"I was out to lunch!"

"We didn't have to leave. You''re the one that insisted we were going to be late. I would have loved to talked to your Gran a bit more."

I just huffed in response. Of course he wouldn't understand.

"What's wrong? Didn't want your grandmother and brother to find out about your new boyfriend?" he teased, grinning broadly at me. "You didn't! Why? Never brought a guy home before?" No. "Or maybe you already have a boyfriend."

I turned and started walking again. I couldn't believe I was subjecting myself to this. Just breathe, Em. You can get through this. Just think of it as another kind of volunteer work.

James caught up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "You don't do you?"

I was caught off guard by the question. "What?" I asked dumbly.

"Do you have a boyfriend already? His brows were furrowed, his eyes searching mine.

"No, James. I do not have a boyfriend currently."

"Are you mad at me?"

I wasn't expecting that next question. Was I mad at him? No, I was more upset with myself.

"No," I sighed. "I'm mad at myself. I wanted to tell Gran the truth about what I'm actually doing with you tonight, but I couldn't disappoint her that way. She was so excited to see that I was willingly going to be around a man and I just couldn't take seeing her upset anymore so…I lied to her. I just thought… well, I'm not quite sure what I thought exactly." I gave him a small smile to reassure him that I was not mad at him.

"Oh. Do you…not usually go with men?" His lack of tact was a welcome reprieve at that moment and I couldn't stop myself laughing.

"No," I managed to get out in-between giggles. "Well, I mean, yes I would, but—" I couldn't contain my laughter to finish an explanation. James just stood there, probably trying to gauge my mental stability.

When I had finally sobered up, I managed a simple, "I'm not gay." I couldn't stop a last, soft giggle escaping.

"Right. Sorry. I just…" I smiled genuinely at him. He was extremely flustered and it made me want to laugh more. "Stop laughing at me!" he whined.

"Sorry," I giggled.

"That's another thing. Are you always so apologetic?" He cocked his head as he asked.

"I don't think I'm too apologetic…am I?"

He looked at me a bit before, "No. You're just extremely…kind," he finally decided. "And polite. You are the most polite person I have ever met."

"Thank you… I think?" Was it a compliment. Could being called polite ever not be a compliment?

James chuckled at my confused expression. "Come on. We best get you home so you can pack." He walked ahead of me, crossing the street.

I paused in my walk. "Hang on…pack? Why do I need to pack?" It was just dinner, right? "And how do you know where you're going!" I shouted after him.


	5. Pasta and Potters

**A/N: Just a little bit of James and Emelia bonding time. I figure, you should at least have held a conversation with your fake girlfriend before she meets your family, right? **

**Enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

We ended back at my flat at some point. Turned out James didn't know where he was going, he was just walking and hoping I would direct him. Wonderful of him to point that out after we had walked completely out of the way first. Although, I did manage to get him to admit that dinner had been moved to tomorrow and that he would like me to stay at his for the night so that we wouldn't have to worry tomorrow.

As soon as we walked in the door, James all but ran to the bathroom and I headed over to my room. I pulled down my day bag and laid it on my bed. Walking back over to the wardrobe, I realised that I had absolutely no clue on what to wear to your new, fake boyfriend's house for dinner.

"Is what I'm wearing now acceptable?" I asked myself.

I looked down at my beige pencil skirt and crisp, white blouse. This is what Gran preferred I wear all the time. She said it made me look like a smart and ambitious young lady. I paired it with a brown belt and brown ballet flats, while my hair was pulled back into a loose, yet feminine, bun. It was an outfit Gran loved to see me in. But would James' family think it strange?

"James?" I called, deciding I needed his advice if I was going to be the perfect girlfriend for him. "James, can you come in here for a minute, please? I need your help."

"Yes, love?" I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Just getting some practice in." He grinned at me. "Now, how can I be of assistance?"

"What should I wear? What does your family expect of a girl you're bringing home?" I chewed my lip nervously.

"Hmmmmm…" He circled me. "Well this outfit is drastically different from your last one of a man's jumper and old shoes…"

I blushed. I would prefer to wear those kinds of things all the time. Guys didn't notice me anyway so what's the point?

"But," he continued. "This is too business-y."

"Yes, I had work today. And I was meeting Gran for lunch," I explained.

"Alright. Just pick something casual. It's just a dinner at my parents'." He glanced once at me, lifting his eyebrows as if asking that I understood.

I nodded slowly, still chewing on my lip, before turning back to my wardrobe. "Right, casual. I can do that. Casual."

By the time I had finished packing, I went downstairs to find James rummaging about in the fridge. I quickly looked at the clock. It was time for dinner. James was probably starving!

"Here, James. Let me." I gently moved him out of the way to survey my ingredients. "What would you like for dinner?" I asked without looking up.

"You're going to make me dinner?" he asked, almost incredulous.

"Well, yes. That is unless you aren't hungry…?" I looked at him quizzically. Surely he was hungry. Leo is always hungry.

"I am!" he hurriedly assured me and I smiled, waiting for him to continue. Again he tilted his head to the side slightly, just like he alway did when he was trying to figure something out. "What I meant to say was that I don't expect you to make me dinner."

"It's really no problem. I shouldn't have taken so long packing. I didn't even begin to think that you might be starving to death out here." I looked at him apologetically.

He only chuckled. "Only you would think to apologize for something like this," he said shaking his head slightly and smiling.

"Sorry."

He outright laughed this time. "Well, Emelia. I will eat whatever you put in front of me. I trust you." He winked at me. "Do you need any help?"

"No it's alright. You don't have to stay in here with me."

A while later, I called out to James, letting him know dinner was ready. He came in eagerly, sniffing to see if he could tell what we were having.

I pointed to a seat at my counter from my position by the cooker. "Would you like anything to drink?" I asked as he sat down.

"A water would be great, thanks."

I grabbed a plate, putting a generous amount of pasta on it before covering it in sauce. I topped it off with a few pieces of seasoned chicken before setting it in front of him. I handed him a fork before going for a glass of water for him.

By the time I had filled the glass, he had already dug into his pasta. He looked up at me when I set the glass down in front of him. "This is amazing, Emelia!" he managed in between wolfing down bites of pasta.

I smiled, a little pleased at managing to satisfy him, before grabbing my own plate and standing across the counter from him. Despite Gran's constant reminders to sit down when eating, I opted to hold my plate with my right hip leaned against the counter.

When James had finished his plate, he looked up at me and raised his eyebrows slightly, smiling. I obligingly filled his plate again so he could get back to burying his face in it.

"So, let's hear it," he surprised me by speaking. "What's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" He pointed his fork at me.

"Forgive me for saying this, but shouldn't I be asking you that question?" I asked, one eye brow raised.

"Fair enough," he chuckled. "But I get to go second." He made a gesture for me to begin when I just kept quiet.

"Alright, well, I suppose there isn't that much to know. I am very close to my Gran and my brother, Leo. I love to volunteer in my spare time and the rest of the time, I am working."

"Where do you work?"

"A children's hospital." At this, he seemed interested. "I love working with kids," I explained, shrugging. "So, your turn."

"Okay, I am also very close with my family, but a little less so since I started playing quidditch a little more seriously. I have a younger brother, Al, and an even younger sister, Lily. I hang out with my cousin, Fred, a lot in my spare time and go out to clubs."

I nodded, satisfied with his answer. I returned to my pasta, content with the silence.

"Come on, Emelia. There has to be more than that. If you can't think of anything, I'll just start asking questions."

He smiled smugly.

I looked expectantly at him. I really couldn't think of anything to say.

"So why don't you have a boyfriend?"

I snorted and started to laugh. Of all the questions he could have thought of.

"Guys don't see me in that way, I guess. And I'm also extremely busy with work and Gran and volunteering." I shrugged. It was the best answer I had.

James scrutinized me before finally accepting my answer. "Alright, next question, what's you favourite color?"

"Light blue."

"Favourite type of music?"

"Classical."

"Favourite animal?"

"I love all animals."

"What do you like to do in your spare time, when you aren't volunteering?"

"When I'm not volunteering? Well, I apparently like to make complete strangers dinner and let them play 20 questions with me," I replied cheekily. Before he could comment on my sassy reply, I cut in, "I like to read."

He nodded. "Chocolate or vanilla?"

And it continued this way for many hours. We covered a multitude of topics from dumb things we had done in our childhood to our most hated foods. I even told him about my parents as I got more tired. In turn, he told me about his.

"…and Dad always would tell us a story about the Dark Lord and his days at Hogwarts before bed. Mum would get so mad at him for it. She said it would give us nightmares, but Dad always told us that there was nothing to worry about. He had made sure of it when he was younger." James trailed off quietly, lost in thought.

A couple things clicked for me at that moment. Voldemort, Hogwarts, 'he made sure of it'… No. Way.

I turned to James sharply. "Tell me your last name isn't Potter."

"What?" he asked me, startled out of his reverie.

"Is it?" I asked again, hurriedly.

"Yeah, why?"

I groaned. Why me? Only I would manage to agree to pretend to go out with one of the most famous people on the continent.

"Is that a problem?" James asked me, confused and a little affronted at my reaction.

"You're James Potter. James bloody Potter. International quidditch star and ridiculously famous model."

"Erm… yes?"

I groaned, burying my face into a couch cushion. I had to meet his family tomorrow. They were all probably ridiculously perfect, just like him. A perfect family. The Potters. I had to meet them tomorrow.

No. I had to meet the Potters tomorrow. I had to meet **The Potters** tomorrow.

"Emelia?"

"I can't do this anymore," I said rushing off of the couch.

He grabbed my rest to stop me going anywhere. "Wait. Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. I didn't realize that your family was… well, your family! Do you know who you are?" I looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes…" He looked at me as if I had just stated the dumbest thing in the world. "And quit calling me Mr. Potter," he snapped.

"Okay, I'm sorry, Mr. — er, James. I really am, but I really do not think I am suited to pretend to be your girlfriend in front of your family. I mean your dad…" I was completely panicking at this point.

James placed his hands on either of my shoulders, waiting for me to look at him. "It's going to be fine. It's one night. You'll do great." He looked in to my eyes, making sure I understood what he was saying.

I didn't.

"Look, I'm sorry, truly. I can find someone else to go out with you. She'll no doubt be much better than me. Anyone would be better than me! I'm too…me!"

"Emelia, stop panicking and stop apologizing. You can't back out now! We had a deal." Seeing that I was still dubious he added, "I need you. Please?"

At that, my resolve crumbled. I couldn't back out now. He was right. I nodded mutely at him, gnawing on my bottom lip.

"Perfect. Now, we should probably get to mine so we can get some rest. Big day ahead of us tomorrow." He smiled good-naturedly at me as I let out a huff of air. 'Big' didn't even begin to cover it.


	6. Showers and Sisters

A/N: Double update today because...well, just because!

Enjoy!

Waking up in the morning proved to be full of surprises. I turned over to get up and ended up rolling off of the couch that I had apparently slept on last night. Hitting the ground with a thud, I groaned lightly as my body protested so much movement early in the morning. I looked over at a clock sat on the mantle of the fireplace. 6. Only a little earlier than I usually woke up.

Picking myself up, I decided to explore a little. Walking in to the kitchen, I decided a cup of tea would be welcome during my exploration. I rummaged around in the cabinets, there really wasn't much, before I found everything I needed. I hoped James wouldn't mind.

My drink sufficiently warming my hands, I set off around the flat. It was gigantic and very modern; very much a bachelor pad. Everything was white or black or some shade of grey. There weren't many personal touches at all. I had loads of pictures of the kids I worked with and my family around my flat. Coming upon one picture perched on a table at the bottom of the stairs, I picked it up to see it better.

His family. His mum was kissing his Dad on the cheek and his Dad had his hand around her shoulders. A younger James was ruffling Al's hair and Al would in turn elbow James in the ribs. A young girl, Lily, was smiling hugely at the camera, oblivious that no one else was even paying attention. I smiled warmly at the feelings the picture brought out in me.

There were footsteps on the stairs behind me. "Adorable, aren't we?"

I smiled up at James as he continued to descend the stairs. I quickly averted my gaze however when I realised he was only wearing a pair of cotton sweats low around his hips. His hair was even messier than usual from having slept on it, but even for just waking up, he looked like he had just come from some model shoot.

James either didn't notice my discomfort or didn't care about me seeing him shirtless. He kept walking in to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water before leaning back against the counter. He watched me while sipping from his glass.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked lightly.

He shrugged. "I was hoping we could go to lunch and maybe get to know each other a little better."

"I'm pretty sure you know everything there is to know about me after last night!" I exclaimed, bewildered.

"You said that the first time," he reminded me.

I flushed. "I'm sure of it this time."

"We'll see." He lifted his glass to his lips once more, mirth in his eyes.

"Would you mind terribly if I grabbed a shower first?" I asked hopefully.

"Not at all. Upstairs, second door on your left. Your bag is at the foot of my bed."

"Thank you!" I rushed up the stairs before remembering my tea cup and I rushed down again to set it in the sink, before once again climbing up to the second landing.

James' bedroom was nowhere near as neat as the rest of his flat. There were clothes and pillows thrown everywhere. Whoever cleaned down there apparently dared not touch this room. Not wanting to intrude on his privacy too much, I went straight for his bathroom.

James' house may have been pretty nice, but his shower was heavenly. There were so many jets and the water pressure was fantastic. I didn't want to ever leave it was so wonderful. I took longer than usual but finished up and stepped out, simultaneously releasing a cloud of steam into the rest of the bathroom. I grabbed a couple of towels from the shelf and wrapped my body and hair up in them.

Finishing up securing my towels, I went to grab my clothes from my bag, before I realised that I had completely forgotten my bag in James' room.

Cautiously, I peeked my head round his bathroom door to see if he was currently in his room. "James?" I asked hesitantly. There was no response.

I ran over to the bed to grab my bag and quickly yanked it up as I turned back to the bathroom.

My bag decided at that time to just give up and let go of nearly everything packed inside. My clothes flew out all over James' bed and floor. I groaned, unhappy at having to pick up everything.

As I was bending down to retrieve my dress for tonight and a pair of denims close by, the towel that my hair was wrapped up in decided it too would like to participate in the mess that was James' bedroom. It promptly tumbled to the floor with the rest of my clothes. Just my luck.

I went to retrieve the towel as well when I heard noises on the other side of the door. "Is she up here?" A quick tapping of feet up the stairs before a muffled, "Lily, stop! Lily!"

The door to the bedroom flew open and I clutched my towel around me, hoping everything was covered. I quickly straightened from picking up my renegade clothing to find myself staring at a very bright-eyed, red-headed, and very excited girl. Her face broke in to a grin and she started to squeal as she clapped her hands excitedly.

I had no idea what to do, especially as she ran up and hugged me, not minding in the least that my hair was dripping nor that I was currently only in a towel.

James skidded in to the doorway, quickly surveying the scene. His eyes widened at seeing Lily wrapped around me.

"Lily! Come out of here." So this was Lily Potter. Quite animated, this girl.

"Oh, I knew Albus was just jealous! He doesn't believe she is real! Can you believe him?" She was obviously triumphant over the fact. "I never doubted you for a second!" She looked excitedly at me. I smiled back, unsure of how I should respond in this situation.

"Lily!" James went to grab her to pull her off.

Lily nimbly danced away from his outstretched hand, leaving me clad in only a towel once again. Upon realizing this fact, James' eyes grew to comic proportions. He quickly recovered before ushering Lily out the door and closing it firmly behind him.

Could this get anymore embarrassing? How was I going to explain to Lily what I was doing in James' bedroom early in the morning, dripping wet, in nothing but a towel? This should be something. I probably looked like some homeless girl James was kind enough to lend his couch to for a night. Hearing the voices downstairs, I quickly grabbed the rest of my outfit for the day before running back to the safety of the bathroom and locking the door.

Dressed in my denims, a blouse and a sporty blazer, I slowly descended the stairs. Hopefully, James had already found and relayed a suitable explanation to his sister as to my reason for being in his room.

"No, Lily. Emelia and I already have plans for today," James voice came from the kitchen.

"That's not fair! You've been hiding her from me. I haven't got to spend any time with her! You spent all last night with her!"

I turned into the kitchen to see James pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "Lily, I haven't been hiding her from you. She's not your—"

"You have been hiding her!" Lily shot back accusingly. "What do you call not bringing her home for years?"

"Lily, no."

"Who says you get to decide? I'm going to ask her!" Lily whirled, probably to come find me upstairs again. When she spotted me just on the other side of the counter, she paused before practically skipping over to meet me.

"Hello, Emelia!" she chirped, enveloping me in another hug, though this one much less awkward. "I'm James' sister, Lily. You probably don't know anything about me because my brother is an idiot," she paused to shoot a glare at James. "But I came to get you to see if you wanted to go shopping with me today. A little sister bonding time!"

"Lily!" James hissed. I was almost too stuck on Lily's mention of 'sister time' to notice her wide-eyed, slightly panicked expression. I caught the end of it before she quickly schooled her features to look excited once more.

"Oh," I started. "James has told me so much about you, Lily. Trust me." I smiled. "He almost doesn't shut up about you and your brother." Which was sort of true. James talked so much of his brother and sister last night, I felt like I knew them now.

"All good things I hope?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow at James as he walked towards the stairs. James just smiled before disappearing to the second floor. "Well," Lily turned back to me. "What do you say? Shopping?"

I looked over her head to see James, his head popped in to view, shaking his head vigorously. I took this to mean that I was supposed to say no to Lily.

"I'm sorry, Lily. James and I were already planning to do some things together today." When her face fell, I quickly added. "Another time for sure!"

Lily squealed, excited at the prospect of hanging out with me. "Alright, I will see you two love-birds later! I'm sure you want to get back to shagging each other senseless." Wait, what?

"Lily, we weren't…!" I hurried to correct her, but James came pounding down the stairs at just that moment.

"Emelia, you forgot your…" he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, my bra in his hand. Merlin, if this wasn't embarrassing enough. Now I had left my bra in James' room for him to have to pick up. He trailed off, noticing Lily still there.

"Right." She smirked knowingly at me and winked. I couldn't help the flush spreading up my cheeks.

"Call me if you want to go to lunch, Em!" Lily's casual use of a nick name startled me a bit. I smiled at it as she flounced out the door. I think I quite liked Lily Potter.

"Sorry about that." James came over to me. "She's a bit…yeah," he finished, shaking his head.

"She's wonderful!" I exclaimed, laughing.

"I wouldn't say that…" I hit him lightly on the arm, looking disapprovingly at him.

"She's your sister!"

"Exactly. Here." He thrust my bra into my hands. "I have one question, if I have this, what are you wearing underneath…" He looked at my chest, smirking.

The flush from moments ago returned full force. "I'm still wearing one!" He looked crest-fallen, his fun spoiled.

"Well, anyway, let me get dressed and we can get going."

"Going? Isn't it a little early to be heading to lunch?" He was already up the stairs, the door to his room shutting.


	7. Meet the Potters

**A/N: I'm truly sorry because I have been off on my posting schedule, usually I try to post a new chapter every 4th day, but that just didn't happen. Hopefully you'll enjoy this (late) chapter anyway!**

**Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Apparently, James' idea of 'going' was to take us from shop to shop, thrusting various articles of clothing up in front of me and deciding whether or not he would like them on me. I was starving by the time we made it to the sixth place, but I was too afraid to tell him that I hadn't exactly had breakfast. He was scary determined to find the perfect outfit for me.<p>

Finally, my stomach decided that if I didn't tell James, it would. It let out the most horrifying growl that I have ever heard, discontented with my treatment of it. And if Gran had been anywhere near, I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate on how impolite and unbecoming my behavior was. I couldn't agree with her more right now.

I quickly wrapped an arm around my stomach at its audible protests, trying to quiet it down. I tried to mentally reassure it that once James was done, I would eat something.

I managed to stay further from any other patrons after that, just in case my stomach decided not to comply with our earlier deal.

James eventually came over and handed me a single bag. Just one bag…after nearly six hours of shopping.

"Would you like to go to lunch now?"

"Yes!" I instantly regretted sounding so eager. "Sorry, it's just…I…didn't have breakfast before we left and…I would really appreciate something to eat now." I smiled, embarrassed.

"Didn't eat breakf—…Emelia! Why didn't you say anything? I'm not trying to kill you before we actually make it to my parents'."

I fiddled with the handles of the bag to avoid looking at him. "Well, you… that is to say, that I…didn't want…" I sighed, looking up at him. "You seemed very invested in what you were doing and I didn't want to spoil it."

James just looked at me incredulously before shaking his head and turning to walk off. "I'm going to teach you to be meaner," he mumbled.

A couple minutes later found the two of us sitting outside of a little place, tucked into a corner, eating across from each other.

"Alright," James started after a few bites. "I have more questions for you."

"Shouldn't it be my turn to ask questions?" I asked, smiling playfully and tilting my head to the side slightly as he always did.

He huffed before taking another bite of his food. I took it as consent for me to ask away.

"So, tell me again why you don't have a girlfriend?" I didn't even care that the question was probably extremely rude. "I mean, wouldn't your family know if you had a girlfriend? At least, a girl that you were serious about? Wait, haven't I seen you in the papers with girls?"

My hand rushed to my mouth. I was too stunned with myself to apologize.

James just looked at me, amused. "I'm just busy with quidditch and everything else, I suppose. I still see my family, but I've already planned what I'm going to say to them about not introducing you. As for the papers, no. I have managed to stay out of them for quite some time. However…if you knew about my being in the papers, how did you not know who I was?"

"I just….didn't put it together. Okay, enough about me. More about dinner. Should I be careful doing or saying anything in particular?"

James laughed and shrugged.

"What about your brother?" I asked nervously.

"Al? He won't be thrilled when I show up with you, but it won't be because of you. We are very competitive, he and I. He thought he had won this."

"Oh. Well, if he really wanted to beat you, he would do something better than getting a girl, wouldn't he? He'd marry the girl. Then he'd have you beat, surely," I mused aloud.

"I wouldn't put it past him…" James rolled his eyes. "We'd best get going. Mum'll want us there a bit early."

* * *

><p>"You ready for this?" James turned to ask me. We were standing outside of his parents' door having apparated there just moments ago.<p>

"Little late now, isn't it?" I half-joked, nervous.

He just smiled reassuringly at me. "It'll be okay, Emmy."

My nose scrunched at the unfamiliar name.

"I thought I should call you something other than your full name. You don't have a nick name?"

"Remy." He looked at me curiously. "My cousins…er…long story."

"Alright, well, Remy," he said taking my hand. "It will be okay. Trust me."

Just as he finished lacing his fingers through mine, the front door flew open to reveal one very excited Lily Potter.

"I told you they were here!" she exclaimed, grabbing me and pulling me in to hug me. I tensed, not expecting the warm reception, before putting one arm around her and leaning into the hug. James held on to my other hand, preventing me from fully embracing his sister.

Finally, Lily released me, only to put her hands on my shoulders and step back far enough to look me up and down.

I hoped my outfit got her approval. James had picked out a white, long-sleeve shift dress that came midway down my thighs. I paired it with my sandals and a half-up hair style. It was casual, yet put together.

"You look gorgeous, Em!" she gushed.

"Lily, you're going to scare the poor girl," Ginny lightly reprimanded her daughter as she glided into the room. "You must be the unfortunate girl who has to put up with James," she directed at me.

James protested while I just smiled. "Hello. I'm Emelia. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Potter." I extended a hand to shake.

"Oh, don't be silly, dear! Call me Ginny." She pulled me in for a hug as well.

"What were you just saying to Lily about scaring her, Gin?" Harry appeared from where his wife had just moments before. "I'm sorry about them," he approached me smiling warmly. "They can get a bit excited."

I was speechless at seeing him. What was I supposed to say to Harry Potter? The Chosen One? I snapped out of my mental conversation to shake his had. "Good evening, Mr. Potter. I'm Emelia."

"Hello, Emelia. You can call me Harry, if you like."

I nodded, smiling slightly. "Thank you for having me over. I'm glad to finally get to meet James' family. He speaks so highly of you." I hoped I was making a good impression.

"Really? Is that right? Well, we'll just have to tell some stories about him tonight, now won't we?" Harry grinned at his son. James groaned in response and tugged on my hand, bringing me closer to him.

"Come on into the dining room, we should be able to have dinner shortly."

James pulled me after him as we followed his family to the dining room. He pulled out a chair for me before pulling one out for himself and sitting down. His sister and his parents all sat down with us.

"So, Emelia, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you and James meet?" Ginny asked, green eyes lit with excitement and curiosity.

I felt James stiffen next to me. We hadn't discussed the details of our "relationship".

I grabbed his hand underneath the table and gave it a light squeeze before replying.

"Actually, I do a lot of volunteer work. It's what I do with a majority of my spare time. I particularly enjoy working with kids, so I help out at the Children's Center most weeks. That is where I ran into James." Not even a lie. I congratulated myself.

"Quite literally." James had relaxed as I started to explain and, by the end of it, was well enough to contribute to the story.

I laughed and looked over at him in what I hoped was a loving way. "Yes, literally."

He returned a grateful look, silently thanking me for doing this.

"And..?" Lily asked, exasperated at our apparently brief answer.

"And I kept noticing him at different events after that. Every time I turned around, he was there." Which was true. He went to many more charity events after our first run in. "And, finally, he just came up and said he needed to ask me a very pressing question."

"I did not say it was a pressing question!" James protested, scrunching his eyebrows at me.

"Wasn't it though?" I smiled innocently at him. I was having fun with this. He knew I meant about him asking me to lie to his family.

James caught my meaning and looked away, smiling.

"You guys are just too cute!" Lily pretended to cry. "It's just so beautiful."

James rolled his eyes at her as I laughed. I definitely liked Lily Potter. She had spirit.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go finish up dinner." Ginny stood from the table.

"Would you like help, Mrs. Potter?" I asked, trying to remember Gran's lessons.

"That would be lovely, dear!"

I followed her into the kitchen where she had me tossing a salad as she prepared the rest of the meal. As I was mixing, I heard the telltale pop of someone apparating into the house.

"Hello, Albus. Just get off of work?" Harry's voice carried into the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad. Yeah, had a bit of a longer day today. Sorry that I'm late."

"Al! You'll never guess who's here!" I heard a grunt from Albus as I assumed Lily ran and hugged him as she did me.

"Hey, Lils. Nice to see you too," he chuckled. "James! I haven't seen you in a while, mate. How's the team?" Albus sounded like a nice enough guy, even a bit quiet…

"We're doing great! I think we might just take the championship this year! It's good to see you, Al."

"Is it just us for dinner, then?" Albus sounded hopeful as he said this. I found myself ignoring the salad completely and instead listening to the conversation in the next room.

"If you could just bring that in here, Emelia," Ginny's voice brought me back to my task.

I hastily grabbed the bowl of salad and rushed to follow her back into the dining room. Lily, and the person I assumed to be Albus, had their backs to me as I walked in.

"Ah, here she is now," James said, holding a hand out to me. I walked over to him, still clutching the salad. I wanted something, even a bowl of lettuce, in-between me and Albus. I was afraid of his reaction.

Albus stared at me a moment and I him. He looked so much like his dad. Even the same eyes.

Finally, he moved towards me, hand extended.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe that we've met before. I'm Albus, Al for short." I released my death grip on the bowl as his greeting came out much gentler than I had expected.

"I'm—" realizing I still had the bowl in my hands, I quickly set it down to free them in order to shake Albus' hand. "Sorry. I'm Emelia. It's nice to meet you."

"Are you one of Lily's friends?"

"Oh! Sorry, I should have… No. I'm James' girlfriend," I quickly explained. _Please don't be suspicious_ I silently begged.

Albus blinked once, his eyes widened a bit. "Oh. Well, then, it's nice to finally meet you, Emelia." He smiled kindly.

I quickly glanced at James, expecting more of a reaction from his brother. James looked back at me, equally as confused before shrugging.

Harry clapped his hands together. "Well, since we are all here, I guess we can go now?" he looked at his wife for confirmation.

"You act like you're half starved. Honestly, Harry!"

Harry grinned at his wife before kissing her cheek and striding from the room.

"Lily, would you mind grabbing the salad? I think I have the rest of this," Ginny instructed her daughter. Lily retrieved the salad from where I had previously set it and walked out after her mother and Albus.

"Where are we going?" I asked James. He pulled me after his family.

"Mum, where are we going?" he repeated my question to his mother.

Ginny looked at him strangely.

Albus looked back at us. "Oh, yeah," he said slowly. "I forgot to tell you that dinner got moved to Nan's. The whole family is there."

"Come along, we don't want to keep them waiting." Harry wrapped an arm around his wife's waist before apparating. Lily and Albus went next. James pulled me closer to him, preparing to leave as well.

Before we apparated, he looked down at me almost apologetically. I looked back at him quizzically. What did he have to be sorry for?

"You'll see," he said grimly before taking us away.


	8. Meet the Wotters?

**A/N: I decided that because of my tardiness in updating, another double posting of chapters was in order, don't you think? This one in particular takes a turn that I think you will like. **

**Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

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><p>We landed in the middle of small, cozy didn't seem to be too bad… I didn't see anyone around us save for Lily's back as she walked outside.<p>

"Not this," James said, looking down at me. Did he have a hidden psychic talent or something? How did he always know exactly how to respond to my thoughts?

"Because you practically write them across your forehead," he grinned at me, his eyes dancing. I looked quickly away, trying to hide my embarrassment. Was I that easy to read?

"Yes. Yes, you are."

This time I scowled, angry at myself for being so obvious. Before I realised it, James had pulled me through the door Lily had disappeared through and out onto a large patio filled with people. I stopped upon seeing just how many people there were, taking my hand from James'. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit scared by just how many of them there are.

"It's okay, Remy. They don't bite…for the most part," he said, smirking.

I nodded, chewing my lip before I let him take my hand again. How was I supposed to convince all of these people? One of them was bound to figure it out.

"They're just going to be excited that I have brought someone with me." James grimaced.

I frowned at him. Could he not do that anymore.

"Once you stop thinking so loudly, I will." He laughed and pulled me in for a hug.

I turned my head and crossed my arms, refusing to participate in the hug.

"Oh, don't be like that, love. I'm just teasing you." I kept my face turned away from him, resolute.

He tried to get in my line of vision.

I closed my eyes.

He tried to hold my hands.

I pulled them behind my back. I didn't care that I was acting like a child.

"You're acting like a child." He was closer to me now. I could feel his chest pressed against me, his arms wrapped around me where he tried to get to my hands.

He wasn't going to win this.

"You know I'm going to win," he whispered, dangerously close. I couldn't think of anything to do about it.

"Wotters!" I heard Albus voice shouting over the noise of every conversation going on. "Oi! Rose, quiet! Thank you. I have a very important announcement to make! James has brought his girl with him!" I could practically hear every set of eyes snap to James and I.

Realizing we were still pressed together with his arms around me, I attempted to wiggle away from him a bit into a position that was more appropriate. James wouldn't let that happen and just turned so that I was under his left arm, pulled into him. I looked out at his family and then, panicked at their sudden silence, peered up at him.

He smiled easily down at me. He could handle this one.

"Don't worry, I will." And for once, I was grateful he could understand my facial expressions. "Everyone, this is Emelia. Emelia, this is my family."

All at once, a wave of squeals and coos rushed toward me along with his family. The women surged to hug me while the men congratulated James and clapped him on the back. For a while, we were caught up in a sea of excited questions and smiles. Each person pulling for our attention. I don't know how long I stood there, trying to answer questions as best I could before James finally pulled me free.

"Alright, guys, I think you're overwhelming her. Let her breathe." He shooed his family away.

"Thank you," I breathed.

"No problem. I told you they would be excited." As he said this, a tiny force bumped into the back of me. I looked down to see a small, freckled face looking up at me.

I kneeled down. "Hi, are you one of James' cousins?" The little boy quickly nodded his head. He extended his hand out to me and I grasped it lightly, following after him.

He took me over to the rest of the little kids playing in the grass and introduced me as "Cousin James' Wife". I quickly tried to correct him, telling him that I wasn't married to James.

"Well, aren't you going to? Aren't you going to marry James?" I didn't know how to explain the situation to them so I gave a simple "maybe someday". Satisfied with my answer, the kids pulled me into a game with them.

I spent most of the evening with the children, even going so far as to sit with them at dinner. I don't know if I could handle all of the questions James' family was sure to fire at me if I let myself be a target. Every once in a while, I would catch James' gaze on me and we would smile at each other. This wasn't too bad.

Towards the end of dinner, when the kids were winding down, I looked over to James' seat to find him missing. I looked frantically for him. He couldn't have left me here.

"Looking for someone?" James' voice came from behind me. I jumped and would have fallen flat on my face if he hadn't caught me. "Come with me."

He led me to the same grass patch that the kids and I were playing in earlier. By now, the sun had begun to set. Then, this dinner would be over and I could go back to life as a quiet, unnoticed girl. I looked up at James.

He didn't meet my gaze, instead choosing to stare out at the burning skyline. He grasped my hand tightly, smiling to himself. I kept my gaze on him, letting him think.

After a bit, he released my hand and pulled me in to his side, winding his arm around my waist. I let him and laid my head on his shoulder, both of us staring at the vibrant colors of the setting sun.

He turned towards me, placing his hands on either side of my face and kissing my forehead, his lips lingering. "Thank you for doing this for me, Emelia." I wanted to respond but he stopped me. "No, please, I'm not done yet."

I waited patiently for him to continue. I was interested in what was so hard for him to say. It couldn't possibly be any harder than asking a complete stranger to come meet your family as your fake girlfriend. He smiled down at me, sliding his hands down my arms until they wrapped around my own hands.

"You are one of the most polite, caring, and selfless people I have ever met…" He looked a little nervous saying this to me.

I nodded at him, needing him to go on if I was to understand.

"Well, I know that I already asked so much of you, by having you come here with me tonight… but I have one more _small_ favour to ask you." He was outright terrified at this point, as if he was fearing my reaction to whatever this would be.

"Don't freak out." Slowly he descended on to one knee, still holding my left hand.

"So, Emelia Elizabeth Renaldi." He peered up at my through his lashes and I didn't even care how he found out my full name. "Remy, do you think you could do me the honour of pretending to be my fiancée?"

He pulled a ring box from his back pocket and opened it to reveal a bloody humongous diamond ring.

"You said the only way I could one up Al was to get engaged." He looked at me seriously and a little apprehensively. I mean, wouldn't anyone be if they just proposed to a girl that they have known for all of thee days?

No, I couldn't do this for him. It was too far. Someone was going to get hurt.

"Just say yes," he murmured quietly.

I started shaking my head and him, but at the same time my mouth decided to blurt, "Yes!"

At that moment I wanted to cry. Why could't I just say no? James would have forgiven me eventually.

But now I was his fiancée just because he wanted to beat his brother.

Then I did start crying.

James slid the ring on my finger and I jumped into him as he stood up, pretending to be overjoyed at the prospect of marrying him. I buried my face is his neck, hoping that it didn't look like I wanted to run far away and keep running when I got there. I tried to reign in my misery before I crashed my lips onto his, snogging him to try and convince whoever saw, and myself, that I was truly ecstatic at the thought of marrying James.

James set me down, kissing my forehead again. I wrapped myself around him, hoping to hide my tears a little longer.

He gently cradled my face in his hands, turning my face towards his. "Thank you," he said genuinely.

I could only smile thinly back at him. At least it made him happy.

He quickly picked me up and spun me once, his face splitting in to a grin. You would think that he had actually just found the love of his life the way he was acting, but it was just me.

"You think Al saw that?" He asked, oblivious to my poorly concealed misery. "He had to have seen it. I can't wait to see the look on his face." James smirked, pleased that he would be able to rub this in his brother's face.

"Come on, Remy. The family is probably wondering where we got off to." He turned us around, ready to pull me off to find his brother, when we both realised that we would't have to go to too much trouble to find him. He was standing not fifty meters from where we were.

Albus was standing there with the rest of the family. They had all seen.

I quickly schooled my face to make it seem that I was crying out of pure joy instead of sheer terror. I wouldn't be very convincing if I looked ready to off myself at the thought of marry James.

As for James, he froze in place, taking in the sight of his family staring at us excitedly. Maybe he finally realised just what he had gotten us into. It was no longer about being better than Albus. Now, his whole family knew.

For the second time that night, James' family rushed at us in a flurry of tears and smiles and coos, but this time over our 'engagement'.

"Oh, I just knew it! I was telling Rose this morning that you two were going to get married."

"Emelia, I'm so happy for you. I know a great place for the wedding—"

"You'll have to tell me everything he said—"

"I just can't believe that I'm going to have another daughter!"

I couldn't breathe from how hard Ginny Potter was squeezing me and my head spun as I tried to focus on everyone that wanted my attention. I wished James would save me again.

Instead, my knight turned out to be Molly Weasley with a bottle of champagne. "Let''s get a toast for the happy couple!"

Everyone let go of me to grab a glass, except for James. His arm found its way around my waist again.

"To James and Emelia! May they have a long and wonderful marriage!" A chorus of clinking glasses erupted after Arthur Weasley's toast.

I stared down at the glass that someone had handed me and, without a second thought, threw down the whole thing at once. If there was ever a good time to become an alcoholic, this must be it.


	9. Breakfast with the Potters

**A/N: Not a lot of plot development in this chapter, but definitely some fluff and a little more of getting to know the Potters. **

**A special thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! You guys are fantastic!**

**As always, let me know what you think and enjoy!**

* * *

><p>For the rest of the night, I stuck close to James, letting him answer any other questions people had about our relationship. He walked us around from group to group, receiving congratulations, until we finally sat down in the living room.<p>

Most of his family had gone home to put their kids to bed or because they had work tomorrow. The few that were still lingering, his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and their kids, his Uncle George, - even George's wife had gone home with the kids - and James' family all still stayed, sitting around the living room with us.

As soon as James pulled me down on to the couch, I curled into his side, making myself as small as possible. I was tired and tired of having to be in the spotlight for one night. I closed my eyes and listened to James' heartbeat and the way his chest vibrated when he spoke. It was soothing in a way, so I stayed like that for as long as we were on the couch.

Which I guess was quite a while because I ended up falling asleep, only to wake up the next morning in bed.

I groaned lightly as I woke up, rolling over and stretching to alleviate the stiffness from whatever position I had slept in the night before. I buried my face in an extremely plush pillow and spread my legs across as much of the bed as I could.

As I tried to stretch as far as physically possible, my right leg ran into an unforeseen obstacle on its journey across the mattress. I used my foot to explore whatever was in my bed, running along it, trying to figure out which books I had left in bed this time.

Not being able to discern exactly what was on the other side of my bed, I lifted my head off of the pillow to get a look.

A long form was buried under the sheets, with a tuft of brown sticking out at the top. I frowned at it; why was it in my bed?

I kicked it. Was it awake or even alive? In response to my prodding, the thing shifted and groaned.

I stopped momentarily to peer at the shape some more; a shape that mysteriously enough sounded like one James Potter.

As I mused over the fact that James Potter might in fact be in my bed, I realised that _I _wasn't in my bed. Whatever I was currently laying on was much too plush and comfortable to be my bed at home. And the sheets were a bright, clean white.

I sat up slowly.

Looking around at the room, I didn't recognize any part of it. This wasn't my room either.

I quickly scrambled out of bed, forgetting the other form asleep in it. In my haste to escape the plush lie, my legs got tangled in the sheets and I was sent sprawling across the floor. Once actually standing, I didn't exactly have a plan for what came next.

I ran my hand through my hair and only then saw the light blue sleeves of a dress shirt that I neither owned, nor remembered putting on last night. Upon further examination, it was clear that this was James' shirt from last night. And at that conclusion, I was utterly and hopelessly confused.

Perhaps my still groggy mind was not fully recovered from such a wonderful slumber, or else it wanted to return to my previous state of near hibernation, that it didn't want to function past 30% of it's normal capacity because I could not for every galleon in Gringott's figure out what was happening to me right now. Why couldn't I remember anything?

I took stock of what was around the room, hoping something would give me an answer. Nothing but some of James' clothes strewn across the floor was even visible. And then I saw my shoes from last night.

Last night. James' family. Party. James… A lot of it was coming back to me. And then I saw the ring on my left hand; the giant sparkler that could be noticed from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

So, not just a party with James' family last night, James and I really did get engaged so he could brag to his brother and Albus saw, but his whole family saw as well and they were all happy for us and they don't know it's fake and they probably expect us to get married and James wants me to go with it andIthinkImightcryagain.

I was mentally hyperventilating…or maybe I was physically hyperventilating as well. Before I had a chance to calm myself down, James suddenly flipped over in the bed and smashed his face into a pillow. I squeaked at the sudden movement and tripped over my feet in my haste to reach the door.

I couldn't stay in here any longer. I needed time to think, without getting distracted by James.

I made my way down the stairs in the middle of the hall, hoping I was using the right ones. It would just be the cherry on top of a brilliant morning if I ended up getting myself lost in …well I wasn't sure where I was at the moment. James' parents' house? This certainly wasn't James' apartment, nor his Nan's house from last night.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, I realised that this was in fact the Potter house. It was familiar from my brief time here yesterday before I was swept to the party.

I found my way to the kitchen and took a seat at the counter. No one else was probably even awake yet, judging by the low position of the sun outside of the window I was currently staring out of. It meant I had time to think, time to formulate a plan.

But first, I was absolutely parched. I hopped off my stool and looked through the various cabinets to find myself a cup for water. I successfully managed to locate a cup and just filled it with water from the tap. I wasn't going to be fussy about it, or I'd be in here all morning looking for something to drink in the large kitchen.

I sipped from my glass, my hip leaned against the counter, and continued my staring out the window.

So…I was James Potter's fake girlfriend, er, fiancée.

I agreed to come with him to meet his family.

I didn't know that it would be his whole family.

I accompanied him to an unexpected party at his grandmother's. It was going as well as expected.

I had dinner.

I talked to his (very nice) family.

I agreed to pretend to be his fiancée.

I'm an idiot.

As far as I could tell, that was all of the story. There wasn't anything else for me to know, other than how I ended up in a bed with James. He'd most likely know something about that if I had the courage to ask him.

Sometime during my musings, Harry had joined me in the kitchen. He cleared his throat and offered a cheery "Good Morning, Emelia." as he strode up to the counter.

I jumped, startled out of my thoughts by his seemingly sudden appearance and nearly spilled the contents of my glass.

"Oh!" I gasped. "Good morning, Mr. Potter." Gathering my bearings, I realised that I was in his kitchen uninvited and had helped myself to whatever I wanted. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to intrude. I just needed a glass of water and I didn't think— well, I hope its not too much trouble. I'll clean up after myself," I launched in to my apology, hoping he wouldn't be too upset with me. I _could not_ be on the wrong side of a wizard like Harry Potter.

He chuckled lightly, smiling at me easily. "It's alright, Emelia. It's only a glass of water. You are welcome to the actual food if you like." He gestured towards the refrigerator. "And I must insist that you call me Harry."

"Right." I blushed at my slip. He had told me that yesterday. "Sorry."

He looked at me amusedly. "How did James find someone as polite and kind as you, Emelia? I myself might say its pretty unrealistic that he is marrying you; a prank or some other ill-conceived idea of his." I gulped, panicking slightly. If he already knew, what was the point of pretending? I'm sure he would be understanding.

"But, his mother would kill me if she heard me say that…Or maybe she would agree with me that you might be too good for James. What do you think?"

"Oh, no, sir. Your son is a wonderful man! I don't think I'm quite _good enough_ for him." Which was true. He was James freakin' _Potter_. The son of the Chosen One.

"Ah, see. You are much too nice to have willingly agreed to be with James." His eyes twinkled.

"Oh, dear, I thought we all knew that the moment she came in. James must have done something extraordinary to get Emelia." Ginny Potter had now too come downstairs and joined Harry and I in the kitchen. She came up behind her husband, rubbing his shoulders, before planting a soft kiss on his neck.

"What would you like for breakfast, Emelia?" she addressed me.

"Oh, I'm alright. I think I'll just have some tea, if it's not too much trouble."

"Nonsense! I'll just make something, then, shall I? Harry's favourite traditional breakfast," she said, turning to the cooker to get it warming. "I can make you tea of course, as well, dear," she added, looking over her shoulder at me.

I smiled gratefully at her and made my way around the counter to occupy a stool at the far end of it, where Harry had been seated moments before, but had now mysteriously disappeared from. I settled myself and watched Ginny get to work on making breakfast.

They were actually early risers, she and Harry. It was nearly half past 7, which was past my usual time of waking, but given the late night, I understood why I slept in; that and I slept on a cloud… Both Harry and Ginny were up and dressed for the day. Were their kids up as well?

"Albus'll be down once he smells food and Lily will be up from the racket Al makes in the morning." My head whipped sharply to Ginny at the cooker, concerned that mind-reading was a hidden family talent.

She still had her back to me, busying herself with breakfast, and I realised she was probably just making conversation. "Who knows when James will be down here. He's a stubborn one when it comes to sleeping all morning, that boy. I'm sure you knew that though." She smiled over her shoulder at me.

I swallowed before smiling tightly and nodding absently. I needed to do a better job acting than I currently was.

I turned at the sound of feet on the stairs. "Good morning, mum." A sleepy-eyed Albus emerged. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, his hair sticking up in all directions and his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. "Is that breakfast I smell?" He looked dreamily towards the pan on the cooker.

Ginny smiled knowingly at me and winked. I laughed at her antics.

Next came Lily, prancing lightly down the stairs, looking for all the world that she hadn't actually been asleep, but had pretended to be. Her hair was perfectly combed and her eyes still as bright as ever. She even had on a pair of cute pyjamas to complete the look, but it didn't help sell that she was in bed moments ago.

"Good morning!" she sang. "How is my favourite mother and my most favourite sister-to-be?" She kissed her mother on the cheek before going to lean against the counter next to Albus.

"Good morning, Albus!" She sang in to the boy's ear, though he was almost too asleep to notice. Almost. He swatted at her, mumbling complaints about annoying little sisters. Lily giggled and said that's what he deserved for waking her up so early, though she didn't look to be the least disgruntled about having been woken up.

"Sit down and I'll get you two plates," Ginny ordered her children. They complied, with only a few more playful swats at each other. Ginny looked to me and rolled her eyes.

I was enjoying my tea and toast and Lily's animated conversation with her mum when I heard shuffling behind me. I turned to see James, walking towards me, ruffling his already tousled hair. I smiled warmly at him in way of good morning before realizing that he was clad only in a pair of gray sweatpants.

My eyes widened before I turned quickly away, blushing profusely. It wasn't that he didn't look good without a shirt on, because he was absolutely gorgeous. He was a bloody model for Merlin's sake. His chest was ridiculously well sculpted and his arms were perfectly muscled and strong, I….point is: He looked good.

And then I remembered that I was supposed to be marrying this man. Presumably then, I would already have seen him shirtless.

I hopped from my seat, and walked lightly toward him. I placed my hands on his chest and stretched on my tip-toes to press a kiss to his lips. "Good morning," I said softly, looking into his eyes. Had that been a good enough job?

He wound his arms around my waist, pulling me in to him and buried his face in my neck before pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. "Good morning,love." He wasn't at all startled by my actions. I tried extremely hard to seem unfazed by his.

"You two might just be the cutest thing I've seen all morning! I guess that's not very hard to do, considering the first thing I saw this morning was this grumpy face," Lily gushed before jabbing Albus roughly in the ribs. Albus shot her a glare, rubbing his side, before returning to his plate to shovel eggs into his mouth.

Still pressed against James, I heard his stomach rumble and I laughed. "Would you like me to get you a plate?"

He smiled down at me and I took that as a yes. I wiggled my way out of his arms, but only made it a few steps before James' voice came from behind me. "I was wondering where my shirt got to this morning," he teased me.

"I couldn't find my dress this morning. There were clothes all over the place," I tossed over my shoulder as an explanation. Albus choked suddenly on whatever food he was inhaling at that moment. Lily was thumping him harshly on the back, clearly getting a kick out of causing her brother the small amount of pain. Ginny smiled down at her plate, sipping her tea lightly.

I glanced at James who had frozen on his walk to commandeer my seat. He recovered quickly and smirked at me. I returned a confused look back at him. Had I said something wrong?

I finished getting James his breakfast, piling the plate high, before returning to him and setting in all in front of him. "Thank you." His arm found its way around my waist again and he used his free hand to fork mass amounts of food into his mouth, eating the same way as Albus.

Speaking of Albus, I looked over to see him staring at me curiously. I smiled, unsure, back at him. Was he still skeptical of me and James, or what would be me and James if James and I were me and James… If that makes sense?

I turned to James, whispering quietly, "Why is your brother staring at me? Have I done something wrong?"

"Perhaps, love, it's because you currently aren't wearing anything but my shirt and knickers." He gave a meaningful glance down at my legs. Before I could panic about not realizing that I was not wearing anything on bottom, he added, "Or it might be that you very obviously just implied that we had a very passionate and exhaustingly long night." He smirked at this explanation, watching my face to see my reaction. He wasn't disappointed.

My eyes widened comically as I spluttered. He waited patiently for me to come up with an intelligible answer. I thought back on what I had said. How could that imply that James and I had had sex last night?

"Oh, believe me, love, It sounded like that and more."

But we didn't- That is to say, I'm pretty sure that I...

"No, we didn't. But I can rectify that if you like." James' cockiest smirk was plastered on his face.

I glared at him for intruding on my thoughts again, ready to make a snappy retort as Harry strode into the kitchen again and I was suddenly reminded of my clothes-less state. I quickly stepped around James' chair, hiding myself behind his form.

"Good morning, family. I see you have all made it down to breakfast quite early! Perhaps Emelia is already having a positive influence on you lot." He gave me a playful smile.

"Can I only wear shirts like Emelia, too, then?" Lily asked, shooting me a wicked smile.

"Lily!" came her mother's quick reprimand.

Albus choked for the second time, looking over at me, probably not having noticed that I wasn't wearing much. I buried my face into James' back, mortified at this morning's events.

"And, on that note, I think I'll be off to work. I will see you lot later." He kissed his wife quickly before placing a kiss on Lily's and Albus' heads. He waved to James and I. "Goodbye, Emelia. Try not to get too overwhelmed when dealing with these two," he gestured at Lily and Albus.

"Why, father, I haven't the faintest what you could be talking about. Albus and I are complete saints." She and Albus smiled innocently, placing their faces side by side. Harry shot them a quick, disapproving look.

"Right." And with that, he was gone, apparated away to wherever he worked.

"So, Emelia, what do you want to do today?" James asked me, conversationally.

I should probably let my brother know that I would be out all day today as well. I'd have to think of an explanation there. But at the moment, James was still watching me, expectantly.

I probably should have said something along the lines of spending time with him and his family so I can get to know them better, right? Instead, what came out was: "Let me just let my brother know where I'll be and then I'm all yours."

James smirked at me. "Is that right?" he asked in a low tone. I rolled my eyes, just then realizing that could also be misconstrued. I needed to just not speak.

"You can some shopping with mum and I!" Lily squealed, oblivious to the silent exchange between James and I.

I furrowed my brow. "Er, Lily… didn't you just go shopping a couple days ago…?"

"Well, yes, but you and mum weren't there so that warrants a whole new shopping trip!" She sounded exasperated at my not understanding what was, to her, a completely obvious explanation.

"You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable, Emelia," Ginny explained gently to me.

"Oh, no, I'm not worried about that at all! You all have been so welcoming to me. I couldn't be uncomfortable with all of the kindness you have shown me while I have been here," I rushed to assure her. I didn't want her to feel in anyway that I was unappreciative or uncomfortable.

"Brilliant! It's settled!" Lily clapped her hands together excitedly. "Em, you, mum and I will go out shopping and create a little girl-bonding time. Boys, you can…do whatever it is that you do during the day." She smiled brightly, proud of her self for organizing the events. Lily bounded over to me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along after her before anyone could make any protests.

I laughed, running along after Lily. This would be an interesting day as long as Lily Potter was involved. Have I ever mentioned that I love her spirit? Because I do. She is one spunky girl.

"Goodbye, James!" I called back over my shoulder, almost completely forgetting about him.

As Lily pulled me upstairs to get dressed, I heard Ginny telling her boys to behave and try not to get into too much trouble. She wanted the house standing when she got home.


	10. Meet the Wotters? (James' POV)

**A/N: A few of you mentioned seeing the story from James' point of view. I did write that second chapter from in his voice just to introduce the two and hadn't planned on doing too many more chapters like that, quite honestly. But after it was mentioned a couple of times, I became a bit curious, too. What was James thinking in some of those scenes? So, this is a quite write of just what James was feeling in a bit of the story. **

**I don't intend on doing every moment from the two perspectives (You'll see that when you read this) but I thought some of the main points would be interesting to see the two different takes. **

**On a side note: This is just something I wrote in some spare time today. It doesn't take the place of the chapter that I originally planned to post tomorrow; it's more a supplement to my post from a couple days ago, I suppose. **

**Anyway, enough of my rambling, enjoy and let me know what you think!**

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><p>"Just say yes," I said quietly.<p>

She was going to mess this whole thing up if she didn't play along! I _needed_ to beat Al and this was the best way to do it. Not only did Al not currently have a girl with him, he did not have a fiancée. But _I_ would!…er, when she actually said yes.

I held the ring up a little more. How could she not say yes? It was a fantastically sappy and sickeningly sweet speech and I got an effing humongous diamond ring. Isn't that what girls wanted?

I looked up to see her shaking her head, her eyes panicked. Wait, no! She was supposed to say—

"Yes!"

I mentally cheered. Looks like I still had it.

I slid the ring on her finger—which was it supposed to go on again?—and she slammed into me. For Merlin's sake! Didn't people know I needed this body for quidditch? I caught her effortlessly and held her—was she crying?

Then the full weight of what I had just done hit me. I had just proposed to this girl…and she accepted… _Marriage_. Which meant that….I WON!

I set her down and swiftly kissed her on the forehead. I turned her face to look at me— gently, of course, because I am a gentleman, after all.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. She had just helped me beat my brother in one of our longest running competition: girls.

She gave me a small smile and I couldn't help the gigantic grin that spread across my face. I picked her up and spun her around elatedly. Wait until I told Al about this.

Unless…"You think Al saw that? He had to have seen it. I can't wait to see the look on his face." I smirked, truly pleased that I had pulled this off. "Come on, Remy. The family is probably wondering where we got off to. "

I pulled her around with me as I started back to the house.

Apparently, my family wasn't wondering where we were at all. They were right there with us…watching the whole thing. The whole. Entire. Thing.

Bollocks.

How was I supposed to explain this one to them? I'd rub it in Al's face a little and then the whole thing would blow over, but now they had all seen and mum would never….Mum.

It occurred to me that it was no longer just about beating Al. Now mum knew…The _whole family_ knew.

Speaking of the 'whole family', they were rushing at us, squealing and cheering. I was jostled away from Remy and pulled towards the males of the group.

They took turns clapping me on the back and shaking my hand, making various joking and inane comments about me being tied down and my life being over and whatever else. I searched for Al. He must have been here somewhere.

When I finally saw him, I could have skipped over to him in all of my joy, but I'm a famous quidditch star. I don't skip. Instead, I pulled myself from the guys and strode over to Al. I smiled challengingly.

"You're not going to offer your congratulations to me, brother?"

Al scowled and it only made my joy even brighter.

"James, if this is some kind of stunt just so you could beat me, or some such silly notion…"

I rolled my eyes. "How childish do you think I am? I would never get married just to beat you."

But, apparently, I would get engaged…

"James, I'm serious! You're going to end up hurting that girl when she thinks it's all real."

Geez, he was such a downer. "Don't be such a Moaning Myrtle, Al. I'd expected my best man to be a little more supportive."

Suddenly, his face lightened. "You mean it?"

No. "Yeah! Who else would I trust to do everything for me so I don't have to worry about it?"

Al rolled his eyes, but I could see that his skepticism had passed. Suddenly, he frowned.

"You should probably go rescue your fiancée before the girls mother her to death."

I turned to see what he was looking at and saw my mother and Nan and cousins all flocked around Remy.

I started for her, not needing a traumatized girl to deal with, when Nan proposed a champagne toast. Everyone stepped far enough away from Remy that I managed to get close enough to slip my arm around her waist and pull her in. Strangely enough, I felt a sudden need to protect her.

When everyone had a glass, my grandfather cheered, ""To James and Emelia! May they have a long and wonderful marriage!"

I stared at the drink in my hand. I didn't usually drink, despite what the papers said about my wild nights, but this night might have to be an exception. I saw Emelia quickly tip the contents of her glass into her mouth and decided that it was probably best. I copied her actions, wanting this night to be over.

Unfortunately, the night didn't end there. Every single bloody member of the family wanted to offer us 'congratulations' it seemed. I walked Emelia and I around, receiving all of the well wishes and silently begged each person go home. Didn't they have other things to do?

Slowly, the Wotter clan gathering starting to thin. Only a few members hung round to question me about my and Emelia's supposed 'relationship'. I think I did quite well answering their inquiries. Smart chap that I am, I used a lot of the answers Emelia had given me the night previous to answer my families questions. That way, it would be harder to catch us in the lie later on.

Er… wait, how long was this supposed to go on for?

After quite a number of questions, I excused myself and Emelia as politely as I could from the company of my family, claiming that we needed to get home.

"Nonsense, James! You can stay at our house," my mum quickly stopped me from leaving. She looked excited and hopeful.

That was my first indication of just how much of a mess I had gotten myself into.

I reeled, trying to get out of the entanglement, even if in the slightest. "Mum, its okay. I'm sure you have a full house with Al and Lily. We'll just get back to my flat."

"It's no trouble at all, sweetie. Your room is still there, you two will take that for the night. Come, we'll get you settled in."

"Mum," But she was already sweeping out of the room.

I sighed and started to stand, but a weight in my side stopped me. I looked down to see Emelia curled into me, with my arm around her. It was kind of cute, her sleeping that way.

I shook her, hoping she would rouse enough to get up and get herself to bed. When she only mumbled and curled herself up even tighter, I gave up and lifted her off the couch. I gave a quiet goodbye to my family before following mum back to the house.

Back at the house, Mum led the way to my bedroom even though I knew where it was.

"Everything is all clean. I was hoping you would have come home to stay before now, and a bit more often if I'm honest—"

"Mum, I have quidditch and loads of other things to do," I explained quietly, hopinh we wouldn't wake the sleeping girl in my arms.

"I know, I know," my mum smoothed down Emelia's hair. She smiled softly down at her. "But I'm glad you're here now. Better late than never, I suppose. Especially since you've brought Emelia with you." She continued to stroke her hair.

My heart began to beat a bit faster. I didn't need this right now, not for a bloody fake engagement. I was too young for my life to end!

Instead of voicing any of that I leaned over to kiss my mom carefully on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning, mum. Have a good night."

"Good night, James."

As soon as the door closed, I turned, trying to figure out what to do with Remy. She was still in her clothes, but its not like I actually had any pyjamas for her.

I laid her on the bed, first deciding I should at least remove her shoes. Past that, I had no plan.

I smirked to myself, realising that she would have to sleep without any clothes on. What a coincidence that I happened to like to sleep the same way…

I quickly thought better of it. Who knows what she would do to me in the morning. Although, I had never seen her truly mad…She probably would end up apologizing for not waking up or some other ridiculous thing, and, strangely, I didn't want her to be upset because of me.

I searched my drawers for anything she could wear, but only came up with grey sweats and some old robes. I sighed.

"You're more difficult when you're asleep, you know that?" I took off the blue shirt I was currently wearing and tossed it toward her on the bed. She still didn't move.

Changing into the sweats, I let the other clothes that I had been wearing land wherever before approaching her. I used my wand to change her out of her dress and into my shirt, because, as I said before, I am a gentleman. I wasn't going to take advantage of her…although, she was a sort of pretty…

I shook my head. No more time for girls. Quidditch. I needed to focus on my game right now. Anything else was a distraction.

I quickly tucked her under the covers, before finishing getting ready for bed and flopping down myself. I fell asleep counting golden snitches.

Sometime later, though I'm not quite sure when, I registered a bright light penetrating my eyes and someone moving about in my bed. I buried my head beneath the covers, attempting to block both out. The sun went away, but whatever the shifter was moved from shifting to kicking. I groaned and moved away from it. What did it want?

The thing suddenly stopped its prodding, but I could still hear the sheets rustle as it continued to move about. Had I not been half asleep, I would have been of the mind to tell it to bugger off. Famous people needed sleep.

Unfortunately, the thing, I was sure it was another person, only stopped rustling the sheets when it decided to throw itself upon my floor and take the sheets with it. I could hear the person scramble about, getting up, and I decided that I really _really_ did not like them. Where was my wand when I needed it? A simple hex ought to have done the job.

A gasp. A small squeak… and then rapid, yet dainty, breaths. Were they hyperventilating?

I rolled over, smashing my face into a pillow, hoping the plush down would silence the intruder. It worked, better than I had ever intended, as the person bolted from the room, leaving me to sleep in peace once more.

When I woke a second time, the sun was still assaulting my eyes, but I was much more ready to deal with it this time. I stretched out lazily in bed, staring at the ceiling…the ceiling at my mum's house.

I sat up abruptly.

I hadn't woken up in a place I didn't remember falling asleep in for some time now…Had I been out with Fred last night?

Taking in the clothes strewn across the floor, it all came back to me. I hummed in understanding. So, I still had this whole engagement mess to clean up…Actually, I'd probably just hand that off to Lisa. She could deal with it.

I heard voices down stairs and a clanking of dishes that rode on the smell of breakfast. I smiled, knowing that mom had cooked. I made my way downstairs, deciding I could stay with them a little longer.

At the bottom of the stairs, I was met with the sight of Lily and mum chatting animatedly with each other and mum fixing plates for Lily and Al. Emelia was sitting, watching everyone. By the time she noticed me, I was already halfway over to her. She smiled warmly upon seeing me before her eyes widened. She turned quickly back towards the counter.

I watched her, confused. And as I watched, I couldn't help but look her over. She had my dress shirt on, but it only came to the middle of her thigh. Where it ended, the long, smooth and slender form of her legs began. When she turned, I was granted a nice view of her behind and the shiny, dark locks that tumbled down her back. I reaffirmed my statement from last night; she was more than sort of pretty…

She was slender and graceful, even when still, and she had bright, ice-blue eyes and... she was actually quite beautiful

Before I could muse much longer on the attractive qualities of my 'fiancée' she had hopped off her stool to prance over and kiss me.

"Good morning."

Why had she…? Oh, right. We were in front of my family.

I kept up the act by pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. The warm sensation of her skin beneath my lips surprised me. It warmed the rest of me, the kiss.

"Good morning, love."

"You two might just be the cutest thing I've seen all morning! I guess that's not very hard to do, considering the first thing I saw this morning was this grumpy face." I shook my head as Lily physically abused Al.

Emelia giggled. "Would you like me to get you a plate?"

I realized that my stomach had been more vocal than I had about being hungry. I smiled, grateful that she could read me as easily as I could read her. As she walked away—wow, she was graceful—I took the opportunity to see if I could embarrass her a bit more.

"I was wondering where my shirt got to this morning."

"I couldn't find my dress this morning. There were clothes all over the place."

I paused on my way to her seat, imaging the implications of what she had just said. I smirked, knowing my family would have conjured the same images from the statement. For her part, Emelia only looked clueless as to why Al was currently choking on his breakfast. A bit naïve she was.

Emelia placed a plate piled with food in front of me and I practically started salivating. "Thank you."

I tuned out the rest of what was happening. There were eggs that needed my attention.

**A/N: I intentionally ended it here, even though the scene from Emelia's perspective ends at a different place. I just thought that the rest of the scene was pretty boring to see into James' thoughts. **

**See you tomorrow!**


	11. Shopping and a bit of Revenge

**A/N: As promised, the real update for the story. It's a bit long, but there is a lot in it so buckle up!**

**Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

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><p>Lily and Ginny ended up taking me around to various stores, showing me all of their favourite places to shop. Lily flitted from store to store, practically leaving Ginny and I behind. Once we caught up with her, she began thrusting various articles of clothing into my arms, insisting I try them on or buy them without trying them on.<p>

"I bet you'd look killer in this, Em," she said holding up a particularly short, black dress. She gave it an approving nod before throwing it on top of the pile already in my arms. I peered around one side of said pile to look at an amused Ginny Potter as Lily pranced away to another section of the store.

Ginny laughed at my wide-eyed expression. "Lily can be very…enthusiastic. She is just excited to have another girl around closer to her age. I'm afraid I'm a bit to old for her now." She smiled good-naturedly at me.

"You're not old at all, Ginny!" I replied quickly.

"Thank you, dear, but I'm still glad that you agreed to come with us today. I promise I will try to reign her in. You can say no to her, too. She bounces right back, my Lily."

I nodded, blushing. There was no way I was ever going to be able to say no to Lily. I wandered over to a particularly brightly colored rack and picked up a floral playsuit. It was actually pretty cute.

"Oooooh, Emmy! You must get that! It is absolutely adorable! I won't leave this store without having gotten this for you!" she gushed over the article in my grasp.

I looked up sharply at her. "Lily, you don't have to buy all of this for me. I'm sure you want to get some things for yourself."

She waved me off. "Don't worry over it. I'll buy things too. Now add that to your pile."

I added the playsuit, shifting my hoard of clothing to my other arm to check my mobile. I had texted my brother earlier to let him know that I was out shopping and he hadn't replied yet. Though, this was pretty typical of Leo. He was probably out with a girl.

I made my way over to a chair on the side of the store and started sifting through the clothing. I discreetly set some of it off to the side, not wanting to offend Lily. A lot of it was really cute, but I couldn't possibly wear all of it and I wasn't going to let Lily pay for all of it.

I ended up with a few dresses, most of them more risqué than I was used to, some skirts and playsuits and quite a lot of tops. There were even a few cute and edgy jackets in the mix. I figured I might as well get a variety because my wardrobe needed an update anyway.

I made my way over to the register where I saw Lily and Ginny paying.

"Would you mind putting this on the same ticket as well?" Lily asked the lady behind the counter sweetly.

I clutched my bundle to me. "Lily, it's really alright. I can pay for it."

"Don't be silly, Emelia. Let us spoil you a little today," Ginny told me reassuringly, placing her hand gently on my shoulder.

Lily hoisted my clothes out of my arms and handed them over to the cashier before I could make any further protests.

"Alright, so it looks like a good start, but I still think you need some new shoes and sun dresses. Oh! I know a great place to get the most adorable bikinis! I'm sure James would love to see you in them." Lily was talking a mile a minute. I smiled and shook my head, falling into step next to her as we were off to the next shop.

By the time we had finished shopping, it was well past time for lunch. I was exhausted when we walked in to what Lily claimed was her 'absolute favourite' place to eat. My arms felt like they were going to turn to dust carrying all of my shopping bags and I had offered to carry Ginny's as well. As we approached our table, I was extremely tempted to just drop the bags and flop down into my chair, but I could already hear Gran's voice in my head.

Instead, I carefully set the bags off to the side of my chair and sat down as daintily as I could, folding my napkin in to my lap —Gran would be so proud.

A waiter was at our table immediately, probably recognizing his guests as the Potters. Lily ordered for all three of us, intermittently explaining to me how delicious everything she was ordering was.

"So, Emelia. I heard how you and James met, but I have not heard much about you." Ginny turned to me, her statement more of a hopeful question.

And why wouldn't she be curious. Her son, whom she probably hardly saw anymore, suddenly brings home a girl, that she has most definitely not seen before, and declares that she is the love of his life. She is probably dying to understand the whole situation, and I wished so much that I could tell her the truth.

"There isn't that much to know about me." I blushed, avoiding her gaze, until a sharp, mental reprimand from Gran forced me to look at her once more. "I'm pretty quiet—"

"Oh, isn't that the truth," Lily joked. Her mother shot her a reproving look.

"I suppose I could just spout off loads of fact about myself, but that wouldn't be the most interesting conversation…"

"I'll ask questions!" Lily stated excitedly. At that moment, the waiter came back, balancing our order. He placed it all in front of us and paused a moment to see if we would ask for anything else. Lily had ordered half the things on the menu because I "just had to try them" or because they were "to die for". And it looked as if she was going to be right. My mouth was watering at the smell of everything.

Though I wanted to dig in, I held back, keeping myself from looking like a sloppy loon while Ginny and Lily were sitting across from me. I took unimaginably small bites so that I could still answer every question Lily was throwing at me. And it was going sort of okay…

Until… "So, how often do you guys shag?"

I nearly choked on my bite of chicken. She was so forward, it scared me sometimes. I guess I should have expected it after our encounter in James' flat.

"I'm sorry?" I managed to get out.

"Lily," her mother warned.

"Well, they are engaged now, mum. You would think they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off of each other. Their actually pretty tame when it comes to displaying their affection…" She cocked her head to the side, surveying me.

What was I supposed to say to that? Up until now, I had bent the truth a bit about everything, made up some details, fabricated a couple cute stories…But this? How could I possibly talk about this. I looked to Ginny, hoping she would save me, but she was on her mobile.

"Lily, I don't think… It's really not for me to say."

"Of course it is! Go on!" She looked at me encouragingly.

"Maybe we can change the topic?" I hedged, hoping she would grant my request.

"Fine," she huffed, clearly disappointed. I mentally sighed in relief. "Well, look at the time," she suddenly exclaimed, looking somewhat knowingly at me. "We should be off, don't want to take too long getting home. Who knows what damage the boys have done." She sprung out of her seat and pulled me out of mine as well.

She started to march us both out of the restaurant when Ginny called after us, "Lily! What am I to do with all of the bags?"

Lily whirled around and practically ran back to her mother. "Sorry, mum. Em and I just wanted to go to one more stop before we went home. Is that alright?" She looked pleadingly at her mother.

"I suppose. I'll wait for you girls here. And Lily? Try and be more gentle with Emelia, dear, she isn't used t—" but Lily was already headed out with me in tow.

We eventually walked in the door to the Potter's house after Lily had dragged me to not one but four more places. I wasn't even sure if my arms were still there anymore, but Lily was still as lively as ever.

"We're home, brother dears!" She skipped over to James and Albus and kissed their cheeks dramatically, draping herself on Albus' side. "Did you miss me terribly?"

James wiped her kiss of with the back of his hand and rolled his eyes. "Sure, Lily."

Albus, on the other hand, indulged his sister and sighed just as dramatically as Lily. "Oh, sister, I don't know what I would have done if you had not come home. I was starting to worry that I may be lost forever without your return!"

I giggled at their antics, seeing so much of my brother and I in the two of them. As I looked on Lily and Albus' exchange, James came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I swear there was going to be a me-sized space in his chest if he didn't stop doing that.

I looked back at him smiling. "Hello. How was your day?"

He grimaced, glancing up at Albus, then shook his head slightly.

I looked at him quizzically. Now would be a great time for me to have the same uncanny mind-reading power that he did.

"Tell you later," he mumbled softly into my neck before kissing it lightly.

"You can tell me now." I looked imploringly into his eyes. He looked conflicted, hurt, apprehensive. "Let me just go set these bags down."

He trailed along behind me as I took the bags into the living room where Lily had thrown hers. Noticing how much of a mess the room already was, I hesitated. James apparently had no patience for my indecision and scooped me up, bags and all.

"James!" I cried out, not expecting this.

He smirked and glanced down at me. Clearly pleased that he had managed to surprise me.

"James! Put me down, please! You're going to hurt yourself."

He laughed. "Emelia, I'm hurt that you think I cannot carry you. You hardly weigh anything. Are you saying that I'm not strong enough?" he pouted.

"No! I wasn't saying that at all!" I tried to back pedal. I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry, James! I just meant that—"

"It's okay," he chuckled. "I was only joking." He started to run with me towards the stairs but was stopped by his mothers voice.

"James! Dinner is going to be ready shortly."

He detoured in to the kitchen, still holding me to his chest. "Alright, mum. Promise we won't be late." He gave her a "would I lie to you" face and she in turn gave him the "I'm your mother and know everything" face.

Geez, this family was big on silent conversations.

"And where are you two off to?" Lily asked, looking suspiciously at us.

"Upstairs," James gave a quick answer.

Lily elbowed Albus in the side, smiling at him. "Ow! Would you stop that, Lily! My side is already bruised enough from this morning," Albus complained, not noticing her facial expressions. She jerked her head in our direction, hoping to signal to him what she was referring too.

When he finally looked up, she innocently inquired "And what is it upstairs that is so interesting?" Albus caught on to her suggestive question and frowned.

"None of you business, Lils!" James tossed over his shoulder, turning to leave.

I hit his chest lightly. "James, that wasn't very nice."

"She'll get over it."

James carried me all the way up to his room, the one I woke up in this morning, and all but dumped me on the bed.

"James!" I squealed.

"What? You said to put you down," he replied cheekily.

I huffed. "You're impossible."

I scooted the bags off of my arms and sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting for a smart comment back from James. Instead, he stepped closer to the bed, looking down at me curiously. I waited a few seconds, but grew increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze.

"James—"

"Emelia—"

"You go first," I said quickly, wanting to put off what I was going to say to him.

"Okay…" He paused, figuring out how to phrase whatever he was going to say. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked out the windows on the other side of the bed. The sunlight coming through fell across his face just right, highlighting his cheekbones and long lashes. Actually, every feature of his face was well proportioned.

I know this is going to sound weird, but his nose was perfect! It wasn't too big or too pointed. And his lips were full, yet—

"While you were gone," his beginning interrupted my mental rambling. "Al pretty much ambushed me…about you. He says that we don't seem like a couple."

"Ha. Lily said the exact same thing! Sorry," I apologized for interrupting him.

"He doesn't believe that I am actually going to marry you. He thinks I pretended to propose to you and that I'm really just going to leave you later…" He looked up shyly at me.

I was confused. "Well…he's not wrong," I said carefully, examining his reaction. When he said nothing, I continued. "Are you mad that he doesn't believe you and, therefore, you have not actually 'won'…?" I guessed.

"No…" He frowned, thinking. "It was probably a far stretch to get him to believe this so easily. He's ridiculously smart, Al." Now I really didn't understand. "I'm more upset about what he insinuated about me. How I was just using you to get at him and I was going to be the jerk that left you once I saw a better looking girl walk past."

"Oh." I wasn't quite sure how to take that…Should I be insulted?

"Not that you aren't good-looking, Remy!" He looked panicked as he explained. "You just…aren't…the type of girl that I am usually around," he finished lamely.

All I managed was another "Oh."

I didn't know what to do with this conversation. Of course I wasn't James' type. I had never thought that he and I could ever be together. To be honest, he wasn't my type either. I preferred someone more… organized and… mature? Maybe calling James immature was too mean, but I kind of meant it. He still needed time to grow up a little.

My eyes snapped to his face. Had he been able to hear that thought?

No. Good. He was still talking. What was he saying?

"—that you aren't good for someone. Al just doesn't recognize that maybe I'm not in to that type of girl anymore, ya know? For him to even insinuate that—"

I put my index finger over his lips to silence him. "It's okay, James," I said smiling. "I understand…sort of. Why…" …Would it be rude to ask?

"Why am I telling you?" he guessed my question. I just nodded.

"I'm not sure, really. I needed to talk to someone and I immediately thought of you. You are a really good listener and I trust you, Remy." He shrugged as if the explanation was simple.

"Thank you." I was truly touched by what he had said. Maybe he wouldn't take so long to grow up as I thought.

I took some more time to think over what James had told me. Suddenly I had an idea. "Do you want my advice?" I smiled somewhat mischievously at him.

"Erm…yes? I can't quite be sure when you smile evilly like that. Stop it, Remy! You're creeping me out." He threw a pillow at my face half-heartedly.

"Alright. Alright." I laughed. " I would say to get back at him."

"What?" He looked at me alarmed. I just shrugged in way of explanation. "The pure and saintly Emelia Elizabeth is suggesting revenge? I must be dreaming." This time it was my turn to chuck the pillow at him.

He caught it easily and dived on to the bed, hitting me profusely with the pillow. "Don't you throw pillows at me, Emelia!" he said, mock seriously.

I giggled, happy to have lightened his mood. I moved from my current fetal position to grab another pillow and have a go at him.

We both ended up swinging and swinging at each other, hitting any available spot. I finally leapt from the bed to get some space. I needed to strategize.

"Oh, no, you can't escape me, Remy. I always win." James lunged at me and I easily stepped to the side, whacking my pillow on his back and he went past.

I was standing in front of the bed again. "And to think, I had actually believed that you were a world-class athlete," I sniffed exaggeratedly.

While I was snickering in to my hand, James lunged at me again, actually managing to catch me this time.

He tackled me onto the bed and proceeded to hit me all over with his pillow. I was outright laughing, but still struggling to grab my weapon, needing some kind of defense, when his pillow suddenly popped mid-swing and loads of tiny feathers came swaying down.

I gasped, shocked at the occurrence. James was unphased and only paused long enough to reach for another pillow.

"No!" I cried, taking the momentary relief to grab my pillow. I hit him squarely across the face as he was leaning over to retrieve another weapon and rolled out from underneath him. I made a mad dash for the door, laughing, wrenching it open and flying down the stairs. I could hear James running after me.

I didn't make it any further than the living room before he caught me, his arms grabbing my middle and keeping me from getting away.

"Gotcha!" he cried triumphantly. I gave it one seconds thought before I let my legs out from under me, intending to stun him with my full, dead weight. He jerked forward, catching me and spoiling my getaway plan. "Ah ah ah, Remy. You're going to have to do better than that." He shook his head.

I pouted, upset that he had in fact won. What game we were playing, I had no idea, but he would proclaim that he had won anyway.

"Oh, don't be like that, Emelia. Come on." He shook me lightly. "Give us a smile."

I turned my face away and stuck my lip out a little further. I wasn't going to make his victory too easy.

He turned my face back toward his using his thumb and index finger on my chin.

I closed my eyes.

I feel like we've done this before…

He pressed his forehead against mine.

I tilted my face downward, moving his forehead off of mine.

He went to hug me.

I attempted to turn completely around.

He caught me quickly and started tickling my sides.

I wiggled wildly to try and get away. "Stop!" I squealed in-between peals of laughter.

James didn't stop.

I was about to cry from laughing so hard.

"Stop, please, James!" I could hardly breathe.

"Say that I've won."

"Alright! Okay!" He stopped momentarily, looking at me with his eyebrows raised, waiting.

I almost said it…almost. Instead, I dashed off in the direction of the kitchen.

I was around the counter before he even made it in there with me.

We were shifting back and forth on either side of the counter. He was trying to get around to get me while I was trying to stay away from him.

Giving up on trying to beat me around the counter, James jumped over the whole thing and caught me around my waist, scooping me up and tossing me over his shoulder. By now, we were both laughing heartily.

And then I heard someone clear their throat and I looked up sharply in to the very amused and curious faces of the rest of James' family.

James for his part acted ridiculously casual for having been seen horsing around in the kitchen.

"Hey, mum. We're down for dinner." He smiled brightly at his mother.

"James, would you mind putting me down?" I mumbled back at him, trying to not let his family hear.

James chuckled but didn't make any move to release me.

"James, it's not very appropriate, this position."

"Why not?"

"You're impossible, you know that?" I could feel his frame shaking with laughter. "Fine. You, James Sirius Potter, are the undoubted and indisputable winner."

"Thank you." He swung me off his shoulder and steadied me as my feet hit the ground. "Was that so hard?"

"I feel like my very soul is burning," I deadpanned.

James' family had just been watching our whole exchange before Ginny stepped in to tell us that dinner was ready.

"Go set the table, boys. Lily, come help me with these glasses. Emelia, dear, if you would just toss these containers in the rubbish?"

I moved quickly to help Ginny before standing awkwardly in the kitchen. What was I supposed to do now? Ginny came back in swiftly.

"Oh, help yourself dear! We'll just be sitting at the table."

I grabbed two plates and loaded one up with everything I thought James would want to eat… so everything. And on the second, I put smaller portions of most everything there.

I found my way back to the dining room and placed James' plate in front of him before taking my seat next to him.

"Brilliant! Thanks, Rem!" he exclaimed, already diving for his food.

We actually started the meal in a pleasant silence with Ginny occasionally asking Harry about his day at work.

Well, it was silent except for the loud looks Lily was giving. They weren't mean looks in anyway; they were confused and a little judgmental. I couldn't figure it out. I looked to James, but he hadn't seemed to notice.

"Okay, can I ask the obvious question? I know everyone has been wondering…" She looked straight at me. "Emelia, why are there feathers in your hair?"

Feathers? I reached my hand up slowly, feeling the top of my head. James looked over at me and smiled as he pulled one out of my hair, showing it to me.

I stared at the feather before looking back at James who was on the verge of cracking up. Upon seeing him, I couldn't help but laugh. He eventually joined me and we made quite a sight, laughing uncontrollably over a feather.

I sobered up enough when I looked at James' family, remembering that this was probably one of those times where my behavior was 'most unbecoming'.

"Sorry." I blushed. "Upstairs, James and I were fooling around… Actually, James broke a pillow."

"I did not!" he squawked indignantly. "Emelia split it open."

"That is not even true! Lily, I promise it was James! He was being too rough—"

"Woah, TMI, Em. I didn't need to know that. Maybe save that story for another time."

Once again, I was left in the dark about the quick thinking process of Lily's mind. I had no idea what I could have said that would have caused that reaction.

Harry cleared his throat to get all of our attention. "Well, I do have an announcement. There seems to be… well, there seems to be a spree of related crimes recently. And we at the ministry think that they are all connected."

Lily began to ask a question but Harry held up his hand to stop her.

"Now, when I say crimes, I mean deaths. Several of them. For some unknown reason, someone or something is killing young wizards. There is no discernible pattern or common link between much of the deaths other than they all were in their early twenties. We have been trying to keep this under wraps until we could figure it out, but we can no longer conceal it without endangering the public. We're going to make an official statement sometime this week, but I thought you all ought to hear it from me."

"That's terrible!"

"Do you have any idea who it could be, dad?"

"Is it anyone I know?"

"I can't disclose the names just yet, but it is…possible that you may know some of these people, although it is unlikely that you would know them personally. We are speculating that the people murdered are all couples, but we have no proof of this. It may just be a coincidence that some of them were seeing each other at the time of their murders."

Harry looked around, assessing how we were all taking this news. I wasn't quite sure how to react, never having dealt with a serial killer in my life before.

"Now, that's all that is really known right now. These attacks are scattered and unpredictable. However, in light of these recent events, I would really rather you all stay here tonight so we can be close together. I won't have you wandering the streets. This goes for every night as well. Be indoors before dark and stay away from any notoriously sketchy areas."

Everyone nodded sullenly.

"Brilliant. Now that's settled, I think I'll be up to bed. I have an early start. Good night, children." He kissed each of his children on the head before kissing his wife and heading upstairs.

I waited for James to finish his seconds and thirds before I cleared our places at the table and brought them to Ginny in the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Ginny?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I've got everything managed. You are too sweet, Emelia. Go on up to bed with James."

I nodded and shuffled away quietly. My carefree mood from earlier a little soured over Harry's news.

I made my way upstairs to find James already in the room. I looked at all of my bags and sighed. How was I to get all of this home?

"James? Would you mind helping me get my stuff home?"

"What? No. You heard dad. We're not to leave the house." He looked at me disbelievingly.

"I'm pretty sure he meant his family. As in, I have my own family to get back to. I can't just stay here, James." I frowned at him.

"Sure you can. I bet Lily will let you borrow some pyjamas… or you can sleep nude. Whichever satisfies your fancy." He smirked at me.

"No, what I mean to say is that I have a flat and family to get back to. They'll be wondering where I have been these past two days."

He scratched the back of his neck, looking unsure. "How about you stay the night and I'll take you home in the morning? I'd really rather you not be out at night."

I hesitated, seriously leaning towards braving the dangerous streets in order to get home.

"Just say yes, Emelia," James sighed, looking a bit put-out.

I thought over his proposition for a moment before relenting. I nodded and went to search through my shopping bags for pyjamas that I knew for a fact Lily had bought for me. James had already made his way into the bathroom to get ready for bed so that when I pulled out the right bag, he wasn't there to see just where the bag came from.

One of the stores Lily had insisted we go to after lunch was a very pricey lingerie store. She bought me numerous sets of lingerie, explaining that James would love me in all of the lace. I was too mortified that she was picking out my knickers to actually object. She also happened to get me a pair of silk, yet skimpy, pyjamas. They seemed to be my only option.

I pulled them from the bag before stuffing it back amongst the others, attempting to hide it from James. I knew he would tease me relentlessly.

I stuffed the pyjamas under my arm and waited for James to emerge. Once again, he was only in a pair of low-hanging sweatpants. It really wasn't fair that he looked like a model all the time.

I rushed into the bathroom immediately after him. I quickly put on my pyjamas and folded my clothes before combing my fingers through my hair, trying to make it look semi-decent. It was still a bit messy, but, at least I managed to get most of the feathers out.

I did a simple spell to remove my makeup and clean my teeth before I peeked my head round the door to see where James was. He was laying, hands behind his head, on the bed; the picture of (modelesque) ease. He looked up at me when he saw my face peering out of the bathroom.

"Close your eyes." He quirked an eyebrow. "Please." This time, he complied and shut his eyes.

I quickly threw open the door and scurried over to the bed, trying to hide my night attire beneath the covers before James could see. My plan didn't exactly work as James just opened his eyes seconds after he closed them.

He gave an appreciative whistle.

"Oh, hush."

"No, really. Those suit you…very well." I could hear the smirk in his voice. I could _hear_ it.

I suddenly flipped over to look at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Does your family like me? I mean, I always seem to say something that makes things awkward or they seem uncomfortable around me…"

He looked genuinely confused. "Remy, they love you. They think you are the greatest girl ever. I even overheard my dad saying how you might just be too good for me. What awkward times are you referring to?"

"Like with the pillow exploding thing or at breakfast how I was talking about how messy your room was. Even the first time I met Lily, she probably thought I was some desperate girl that you were nice enough to let stay on your couch for a night!"

He burst into laughter at my explanation. "Remy, those times were only awkward because of the innuendoes you managed to pack into them."

When it was clear I didn't understand, he continued, "They thought we were having a good shag all those times."

"How could they…" And then I realised. Lily didn't think I was homeless the first time she met me, she thought James and I were in his room having… and when James brought the bra down, it just confirmed her theory. And the pillow and the half-nude problem.

"Oh. Oooooh." It was suddenly all too clear. "Oh, my goodness. Your family thinks I'm some slag."

"No, they don't! Maybe, we should just watch what you say a little more…"

"At least its probably helping you convince Albus…right?"

"Speaking of Al, what revenge did you have in mind?"

My mind sparked at the mention of James' retaliation. I had the perfect plan. "Albus' room is right next door, yeah?" I said, tapping on the wall at the head of the bed.

"Yeah, why?"

"And he thinks that we aren't for real, right?"

"…yeah…"

"Well, what's something we could do to convince him that we are more serious than we seem?" I stood up and started jumping slowly and rhythmically on the bed.

"Erm…. actually get married?"

I rolled my eyes. "We'll discuss that problem later."

"Emelia, stop jumping and tell me. Besides, you're making the headboard knock against the wall." He was a bit annoyed with me now.

I giggled loudly. "That's kind of the point, dear." He just looked at me. I motioned for him to get up and jump with me.

I quietly continued, "If Albus is so sure that we don't fancy each other one bit, we'll just prove to him how wrong he is."

"By jumping on the bed?" James asked dubiously.

"No, silly! We're going to shag."

He stopped jumping to stare at me. "Erm…Emelia…I don't know who told you that this was what shagging looks like, but…"

"James, please!" I was exasperated. How could he not catch on. "Albus is on the other side of this wall. This headboard hits the wall and we make a few noises: Bam! He thinks we were in here shagging. Plus, we keep him from sleeping."

James continued to stare at me, this time a smile starting on his face. "You are one wicked girl, you know that? Remind me not to cross you." He joined in my jumping.

"Say something," I instructed him.

"Like what?"

"I don't know! Anything!" He stuttered and fumbled over something to say, so I just moaned loudly; loud enough that Albus could probably hear in the next room. James' eyes were as big as saucers.

"Bloody hell, Emelia."

I shrugged. "Oh, yes!" I cried out. James was bent double, laughing at this point and I had to hit him to remind him of what we were trying to accomplish.

I moaned loudly again, prolonging it. James growled, smiling mischievously at me.

We increased the frequency of our jumps, making the bang of the headboard on the wall faster.

"Come on, love," James panted out, probably actually out of breath from jumping. Then his eyes lit up as he got an idea. "Say my name," he growled loudly.

I glared at him. He wasn't going to win this one. I decided to just stick to moaning on my part.

"Say it." He picked up a pillow and whacked me with it. "Say it for me."

I made a signal to him, telling him that we should wrap this up.

"James! Oh, James!" I moaned out as loudly as possible. James just smirked at me.

"That was really hot, Emelia. I'm sure I could make you actually say it without pretending if you wante—" I cut him off with a quick jab to his gut. This wasn't part of the plan.

Unfortunately, my aim was misplaced and my jab ended up considerably lower than his abdomen. This time, James was the one letting out the long, dramatic moan; only, his was more out of pain…

I gasped as he doubled over, falling to the bed. I immediately stopped to try and help him.

"I'm so sorry, James! Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Don't touch anything," he said breathlessly. "Just stop moving."

I obeyed and sat stone still as I waited for further instruction. Eventually, he uncurled himself from his ball and sat up slowly.

He looked at me. His face was extremely flushed and his eyes were a bit watery. I must have gotten him good.

I reached for him, but stopped short, not knowing what would be okay. "I am extremely sorry, James! I didn't mean for that to happen!" I looked apprehensively at him.

He waved me off, breathing somewhat heavily.

I smiled nervously. "I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"Well… you could promise to… kiss it… and make it better," he said between breaths, still as immature as always.

I rolled my eyes at him. "If it makes you feel any better, that last moan from you was probably pretty convincing for Albus."

"Ha. Glad I could be of service."

"Hey now, this is your revenge," I reminded him.

"And yet, you still seem to be enjoying it more right now."

"Enjoying it?… eh, I guess I don't mind being in bed with you—" I stopped immediately. This was probably one of those times where it would have been really awkward had anyone else heard me. I smacked my forehead, taking a deep breath. "What I meant was that… you're not the worst company I could have…"

"…In bed," James replied, his eyes laughing.

I whacked him one more time with the pillow. "Oh, go to bed, you git." And with that, I promptly rolled over in bed, and closed my eyes. It really wasn't so hard to fall asleep in this bed…

**A/N: Wow, that was long, eh? But, I saw no reasonable place to add a break, so, I figured I would just give it all! Thank you to my readers and reviewers. Until next time!**


	12. Breakfast and Bloody Noses

**A/N: Yay! Update day! A bit of an exciting chapter. **

**Thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers. You guys are all fantastic! I hope the upcoming chapters answer some of your questions and fulfill your hopes!**

**Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The next morning, I was up early again. This time, though, I wasn't so freaked about the scenery.<p>

I looked over to see James sprawled on his stomach on his side of the bed, the covers flung partially over one of his legs and his face turned away from mine. If I were really looking, I would say that his back muscles were really well-defined…If I was looking. I'd also say that his hair was more unruly than usual first thing in the morning…and, okay, I did look at that.

I carefully slid out of the bed and made my way to the toilet. When I was finished, I examined myself in the mirror. My hair was a bit tangled and messy and I looked tired, but nothing a quick spell and splash of cool water couldn't fix.

I rummaged through the bags until I found something casual enough to wear home today and changed, all the while trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake James. Giving myself one last glance in the mirror to make sure I was decent, I made my way down to the kitchen to grab some tea.

Just as yesterday, no one was down in the kitchen when I walked in. I even made my tea and had a bit of time to spare, watching the scene outside the window, before someone came in.

Lily soon shuffled in, looking half-asleep still. She didn't look as chipper as she did yesterday morning.

"Good morning, Lily," I said politely. She looked up at me as if noticing for the first time that I was there. I chuckled at her lost little child expression. "Would you like me to fix something for you?"

She mumbled something incoherent while nodding.

"Right. I'll take that as pancakes? Possibly a side of eggs with them?" She slumped into a chair and laid her head on the counter, sighing.

I got to work, pulling out all of the ingredients and mixing the batter. As I was testing the pan to see if the temperature was right, I heard another shuffling approach to the kitchen. I looked slightly over my shoulder to see Albus come in and slump down next to Lily.

"Good morning, Albus!" I trilled, laughing secretly to myself over the prank. He too looked startled at someone else being in the room with him. He then jumped again when he noticed Lily before rubbing his eyes sleepily and checking the rest of the room.

I let James' siblings finish their sleep as I finished making the pancakes. As each one was ready, I flipped them on to a big plate, making sure to cover them again each time with the blanket cake; just like Gran taught me.

"Lily, Albus, how do you guys like your eggs?" I waited a second, cleaning up the batter bowl and the counter. When I got no response, I turned around to see if they were even still in the kitchen.

Both of them were sound asleep on the countertop.

I frowned, unsure of how to proceed. I could just make scrambled eggs for the both of them….but they might not like scrambled. Of course, I could always make them a different kind if they woke up and decided they didn't care for scrambled this morning. Or, I could make scrambled and fried… but how did they like their yolks?

I was ready to cook four cartons of eggs just to get it right when Ginny and Harry walked into the kitchen, having a very intense conversation. They stopped when they saw me.

Now I felt awkward, as if I had been interrupting them by being in their kitchen.

"Good morning. I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of making some breakfast. I'll clean everything up." I pursed my lips and folded my hands behind my back. Please don't be cross with me.

Ginny walked over and kissed both of my cheeks. "Good morning, dear. Thank you for breakfast. I was just on my way down to make some myself, but it seems you have saved me the time." She smiled warmly at me.

"And what a good morning it is, Emelia. Thank you for breakfast. You've saved me from my wife's cooking," he stage-whispered to me and winked. "I'm just messing with you, Gin." He kissed her swiftly on the forehead.

"Would you like fruit or eggs, either of you?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt anything again.

"That would be great, thanks." Harry beamed at me.

"Oh, Emelia, let me do that. You are a guest here and I couldn't stand to think that we are working you." Ginny fluttered around me.

"It's alright, Ma'am. I'm already at the cooker." I smiled at her.

"Well, at least let me give you a hand. My husband is finicky when it comes to eggs and I wouldn't want to subject you to that side of him." She smiled lovingly at her husband before sticking her tongue out at him.

Harry responded in kind.

I stood for a second, shocked at their behavior. Weren't adults supposed to be more…adult-like? Gran would have a coronary if she saw that exchange. I could only imagine the talk these two would be getting. And then, Gran would surely turn on me for staring.

I shook my head and turned back to the cooker, trying to remember what it was I was doing in the first place. I saw Ginny with the eggs and it suddenly came back to me. I was making eggs for Albus and Lily. Er…I would have been if I knew what to make.

"Ginny, what kind of eggs do Lily and Albus eat?"

"Albus eats anything. Anything you put in front of him is gone in a second. Lily is a little more complicated. She only likes eggs whites." She smiled fondly at her two snoozing children.

I laughed. "Simple enough." I quickly made the two their eggs, adding Lily's yolks to Albus' portion.

I served up pancakes, eggs and some sausages I had also managed to cook and placed the plates if front of the two sleepers at the counter. I looked over at Harry and Ginny who were back in to their hushed conversation in-between bites of breakfast. Ginny looked up at me and motioned for me to just shake her children awake.

Instead, I walked around the counter and gently shook Lily's shoulder.

"Lily," I called softly. "Lily, I made breakfast."

She mumbled something before turning her face away from me. I started to massage her shoulders, sure it would get her attention.

"Mmmmm, don't stop," she said dreamily. I laughed before ruffling her hair.

"Breakfast is in front of you." She looked up and pulled the plate towards her, smiling at the contents. I waited for her approval before moving to Albus.

I tried the same approach with Albus, starting by shaking his shoulder. When he didn't appear to be rousing so easily, I called his name. "Albus." I waited. "Albus, I made breakfast. You should wake up and have some." I waited once again, but received no response from the hibernating boy. I was at a loss of what to do and looked to Lily for help.

"Oi! Al! Get your arse up and eat!" She swatted the back of his head to emphasize her command.

This time, Albus reacted instantly. The arm that wasn't beneath his face flew up to try and protect himself from whatever attack he had thought was happening.

Unfortunately, on the way to covering his head, Albus' arm connected with my face. I had not anticipated such a strong reaction from him and therefore had not moved from my close proximity to him. I stumbled back, clutching at my face.

Albus nearly toppled off his chair, but managed to right himself in time and steadied himself on his stool. He looked around wildly, still trying to ascertain the threat and finally realised that is was only his sister, who was, by now, just about falling out of her chair from laughing so hard.

"That wasn't funny, Lily," Albus huffed.

Lily giggled and snorted. "You…You should have seen…" She couldn't get out the rest of her sentence from giggling so hard.

"Ha ha, Lils. Now, can you pass me the syrup?"

Lily complied, smiling sweetly at her brother. "Of course, brother mine. Anything for you."

"Oh, shut it, would you?" Albus grumbled irritably.

I hadn't even noticed the warmth spreading across my upper lip until Ginny pointed it out. "Oh!" she gasped. "Emelia, you're bleeding!"

I reached my hand up to touch my upper lip. Pulling it away, I could see that there was indeed a good amount of blood staining my fingers. Ginny was up and fussing about me, steering me over to a chair, running off to grab me a towel.

I tilted my head forward as I sat down, not wanting any of the blood in my throat. I didn't care that I had been trained to tell people to do the opposite. I didn't particularly feel like going vampire this morning.

I brought my hand up to my nose, hoping to keep the blood from getting on the floor, but it was flowing at quicker pace now.

The blood quickly pooled in my cupped hand and seeped between my fingers, splashing to the floor beneath me. I was afraid to move, lest the rest of my collected blood ended up on the floor as well.

Ginny ran back to me, pressing a small, wet, towel in to my other hand and guiding it toward my face. "Here you go, dear."

I was at a loss of what to do. "Could you ged be the bid, Giddy?" I asked, looking pleadingly at her. In a second, that appeared as well. I carefully leaned over the bin and turned my cupped hand over, releasing all that was in it. It spattered on the bottom and the drops still coming from my nose dripped down to join it.

"Oh, my!" Ginny sounded shocked at the amount of blood just as I had been. "Harry! Help her!"

"Look what you've done now, doofus!" I could hear Lily chiding Albus.

I brought the towel Ginny had handed me to my nose to try and staunch the bleeding. Using my other, messier hand, I pinched the bridge of my nose. This was a technique Leo had taught me. He claimed that he got into many a fight and this always helped him out.

"Id's okay," I tried to soothe Ginny. "Id's ndod as bad as id looks." Just then, another splattering of blood hit the bottom of the bin.

Harry came up next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. He took a breath, ready to say something, when James sauntered into the kitchen.

Initially, he saw the pancakes and his eyes lit up, then he noticed the noise from Albus and Lily's bickering and frowned at them. He surveyed the rest of the kitchen for more food. His eyes finally passed over the spot where I was, hunched over a rubbish bin, with his mum and dad worrying over me.

He was about ready to turn back to the pancakes when he actually absorbed the scene.

"What in the bloody—" I laughed mentally at his unintentional pun.

He strode quickly over to me, kneeling in front of me and taking my face in his hands. He gently pulled my bloody towel away from nose and examined my nose. When he released my towel, I put it back against my nose, though the blood flow had nearly stopped by this point.

He looked frantically in to my eyes. "Emelia, what happened?"

"Id's dothing, Jabes," I tried to explain.

My explanation was drowned out by Lily's cry of "Albus punched her!"

James' head snapped to Albus and immediately his gaze honed in on the little bit of my blood on Albus' arm. He stood up dizzyingly quick and was nose to nose with Albus in a second.

"What is it that you're trying to pull here?"

"James!" His mother yelled after him! "Leave your brother alone! It was an accident, James."

Lily swatted Albus across the back of his head again. "See what you've caused!"

"Ow! Lily—"

"I'd be more worried about me if I were you." James had Albus by the front of his shirt now, lifting him slightly off of the stool.

"James, calm down! Harry, _do_ _something_!" Ginny demanded.

"Er- right. Boys! Listen to your mother!" Harry tried to cut in authoritatively.

"Oooo, Al, you're going to get it now," Lily sing-songed.

"Look, James, it was an accident, mate! I swear it! I would never mean to—"

"James! Just listen to him for a second!"

"Don't touch my fiancée!"

"Boys."

"—I wasn't trying to hurt her! I was—"

"—ever put your hands on her again, I'll—"

"—tell him, James!"

"Boys."

"—shouldn't do that, Albus. You're only making it—"

"—don't know where you get off—"

"—honest, James, I was no—"

"BOYS!" Their voices all came to a crescendo at the sound of Harry's final warning.

Lily froze, staring on wide-eyed at her brothers. James had pulled Albus out of his seat and looked near ready to punch him. Albus had taken up a fighting stance as well. Harry had moved to stand somewhat between his boys while Ginny stayed next to me, her hand taking the place of Harry's. James' chest heaved up and down, his eyes still holding a bit of murder in them.

"James, I swear to you, I did not punch Emelia." Albus held his hands up in a placating manner.

"Then how do you explain the blood on you?" James gestured sharply.

Albus looked perplexed for a second before looking at where James mentioned. He caught one glance of my blood on his arm before he went completely pale and crumpled soundlessly to the floor.

"Albus!" Ginny ran to her fallen child. She kneeled next to him and started fanning him with her hands.

"Why don't you use just use a revival spell, Gin?" Harry asked.

"Or some smelling salts!" Lily threw in. "Or you could just use a pair of Al's socks. That will work twice as well!"

"Hush, Lily," Ginny sternly reprimanded her daughter. "Oh, he's coming out of it! Albus?"

Albus started stirring from his position on the floor. He sat up slowly, taking in his surroundings.

"Careful. Slowly, now. There's a good boy," Ginny softly crooned to him, stroking his bangs.

Albus groaned. "Wha' happened?"

"You fainted, silly!" Lily rolled her eyes and giggled.

Albus' eyes quickly cut to me, and then James, panicked.

"It's alright, Albus," I assured him. By now, my nosebleed had completely stopped. I looked an awful mess, but it wasn't getting any worse.

I stood up and walked over to him and kneeled in front of him. I reached to place my hand on his shoulder, but thought better of it when I noticed how it was currently coated in blood. Albus recoiled slightly at the sight of my bloody hand, so I offered him a reassuring smile instead.

I felt James come stand behind me. I rose and turned to meet his gaze. I looked him straight in the eye, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He was busy glaring at Albus.

"Hey. Look at me, please," I demanded. When he did finally make eye contact with me, "I'm fine."

He looked ready to retort, but I just shook my head. I spun on my heel and stormed out as politely and quietly as I could at the moment.

"Ooooo, Jamie's in trouuuble."

"Lily, eat your breakfast."

I continued up the stairs and into James' room, tempted to slam the door. I couldn't do that to Mr. and Mrs. Potter though. I stomped (Well, to me, it was stomping. I suppose to other people it was more of a lady-like march) around the room, getting my stuff together. I started shoving the smaller shopping bags into the larger ones, trying to make the load smaller.

Pretty soon, I heard James' footsteps in the doorway. I paused for a moment before continuing with my preparations. I kept my back to him, hoping he would get the idea.

"Emelia…"

"No, James. I think you've done enough. I can get myself home." I roughly smashed my clothes from the first night into an already full shopping bag.

"Are you mad at me?"

I snorted.

"Sorry," I automatically apologized for my rudeness.

"You're sorry for being mad at me?" James asked, confused. I could hear him slowly getting closer.

I sighed. "James, I'm not mad at you. I'm disappointed in you." I looked at him sadly. "For the way you reacted back there. You didn't even have the full story and you just exploded."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I silenced him with one of Gran's patented looks.

"I…understand that you were… upset for whatever reason, but that doesn't mean that you need to go and assault your brother! All I'm saying is that, you were a little swift and violent in your actions. It was a scary side of you." I had found the courage to square my shoulders and look him in his eyes when I said this.

"For whatever reason? What do you mean 'for whatever reason'? I think my reasons were perfectly clear! Well, there really only was one reason..But still! Albus deserved it!" James said hotly.

"He most certainly did not, James! He was just… Lily startled him and his arm _accidentally _caught me in the face. He did not intend to punch me nor to harm me in any way." I begged him to understand. He sat there, thinking over my words.

"Right, well, I should be getting home." I gathered up my bags and turned to face him once more. "Thank you for having me, James." I was just about to disapparate when James reached a hand out to stop me.

"Emelia, I meant it when I said that I had a reason for reacting that way. My reason was you."

I couldn't believe he was blaming me for this. I hadn't meant to go and get a gusher of a bloody nose. Honestly, the nerve of some people.

I frowned slightly, but otherwise kept my confusion and frustration tamped down beneath the small smile I gave him next. I was gone the following moment.


	13. Forgiveness and Favors

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! Just a couple of things before we get started: Emelia's brother is not! dead, never worry; There will be a bit where you get to see Emelia's family's reaction to finding out about her engagement (just maybe not in the way one would expect them to find out); And, the subplot of the murders and the dark wizard will become more and more prevalent as the story rolls on, however, it will not be front and center for a while yet (I haven't forgotten about it, honest!). Other than that, enjoy the latest chapter and let me know what you think!**

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><p>I arrived back at my flat and dumped every single bag in my arms in the middle of the floor, uncaring that 'a lady's home must be just as neat and presentable as she is'.<p>

I stood there for a while, amidst the clutter, and just thought. I thought about the past few days. I thought about James and his family. About his sister and his brother. About lying and Leo and Gran. I thought about the kids I work with and why I enjoy it so much.

Kids were innocent and passionate and so full of life and hope and energy. They hadn't been touched yet by the shadows of the world. Dementors were part of scary ghost tales and Death crept around, hidden, quietly taking. A child may have seen Death once or twice, in passing, but he was long gone before they understood his true nature.

I liked that free, undaunted spirit that radiated from a child. And, though it was naive, I wished it could last for everyone.

I shook my head, gathering my thoughts. That wasn't my most pressing problem.

My thoughts turned once again to my James Situation. I knew he was irresponsible, but I hadn't imagined he was so intent on winning that he would find the smallest thing to beat his brother over (quite literally). It was, as I told him, a very scary side of him.

Not to say that I'm not competitive, because I am, but I would never go to the lengths of practically threatening my brother just to prove that my fake girlfriend was not actually my fake girlfriend…Er, I guess, in my instance, my fake fiancé… Anyway, he just took the winning thing to a whole other level.

Or maybe he wasn't just trying to prove something to Albus; perhaps he was actually angry. Over what though? A minor nose bleed? Even if he was the one losing his blood cells, he wouldn't have had just cause to react that way.

I shook my and sighed. I didn't understand people sometimes. And I definitely did not understand James Potter. I thought we had what seemed to be a nice friendship shaping up. Not to say that we can't still be friends, but I guess it just goes to show how little I know him.

I started to laugh. I'd suddenly realised I hadn't even truly met him not even a week ago. Of course I don't know him.

I grabbed all the bags once again, in case Gran decided to drop by, and hauled them to my room where I neatly (unceremoniously) placed them (threw them) by my wardrobe.

I flopped down on my bed, face first, and groaned in to my decidedly not cloud-like or cushy pillow. I lifted my head slightly to check the clock on my night stand. 8:37. Did I have something to do today?

I let my head fall forward again while using my hand to fumble around blindly in my night table's drawer. I located my daybook after a few seconds and pulled it back toward me. I lifted my head enough to see while I flipped through, looking for today's date.

In my nearly impeccable and elegant (Thank you, Gran) cursive was written "Hosp. 9"

I surged out of bed. I had completely forgotten about work today. I leapt to my wardrobe. I couldn't go to work dressed as I currently was.

I pulled off my shirt, ready to toss it to the side when the colour caught my attention. I hadn't known that I had put on a blue and brown tie-dyed top this morning. Why would Lily ever let me pick out something so hideous? And it had to have been me that picked it out. Lily would never buy this for me herself.

As I was inspecting the shirt, I realised that it had managed to dye my hands and a good portion of my arms the same hideous red-brown. And then I remembered the blood.

"Bugger!" Now I had to squeeze in a shower, and a very thorough one, before work. I scrambled into my shower and vigorously scrubbed every inch of my body. The water cascaded down my body and swirled away, dark red, down the drain. I attacked the dried mess on my face with fervor.

Hoping it was enough, I fumbled my way out again and dashed to my wardrobe.

I threw on my nearest pair of scrubs. I just didn't have time for a casual business outfit today. I flew towards my front door, grabbing my coat on the way out. I was just about to the stairs when I realised that I didn't need to actually leave my flat to get to the hospital.

With a quick glance down either end of the hallway, I disapperated, truly thankful, for once, that I was a witch.

I spent the next few hours running about, checking vitals for one child and reading to another. But I didn't hate it. On the contrary, I did enjoy it very much.

And I had completely forgotten about James Potter and lying and bloody noses…

Until he phoned me while I was on break.

"Hello," I answered without looking at the name on the screen.

"Emelia, it's James," he started hesitantly.

"Good afternoon, James." I added a smile to my voice.

"Look, can I meet you somewhere?" I didn't respond right away and he hurried to elaborate. "I just…want to talk. It's important."

"Of course!" I had already forgiven him my disappointment in his actions. "I'm actually at work right now, though," I told him apologetically.

"Are you on break?" he asked hopefully.

"Erm, well, yeah. Why?" I looked around quickly, suspecting he would jump out, already waiting for me.

"Great!"

"I'm sorry, James, I really don't have too long of a break. I only have a bit left so I'm not sure it would be enough time."

The line was silent for a while, and then, "Okay." I sighed in relief. While he was the one that had upset me, I was still embarrassed over the way I had acted. I didn't quite want to face him yet.

"Right, I get off a little late today. Perhaps, we can talk then?"

"I'm walking in the front doors of the hospital. Do I just ask this woman at the front d—Hi, I'm looking for Emelia Renaldi." The last part of it was said away from the phone.

I sighed quietly. Typical James.

I stood from my chair and wound my way through the various hallways and stairwells to find James down in the lobby. By then, several other nurses had also coincidentally ended up in the lobby as well, staring at James from afar.

One of them, Jen from Labor and Delivery, was on her way over to him when I brushed past her.

"I'm sorry. Excuse me," I turned to her, apologizing for accidentally touching her. A rough grip was on my wrist then, tugging me away from Jen and the gaggle of swooning nurses.

I looked up into the stormy eyes of James Potter.

He smiled apprehensively at me, unsure of how I would receive him. He carried himself carefully, afraid that I would spring on him again, just like this morning.

"I'm sorry," I blurted.

"What?" He was genuinely perplexed.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "For the way I acted. For what I said to you. For everything."

He placed the back of his hand against my forehead. I had no idea what he was up to.

"Checking to see if you have a temperature. Is this apologizing thing of yours a disease?" He looked playfully wary.

"Oh, hell, it is, isn't it? Is it curable?" He pretended to panic, placing the back of his other hand to his own forehead, comparing our temperatures. "Tell me there's a cure, because I feel that I've been infected."

"James, I really don't understand." I half-stepped away from his touch, confused.

"I think I've caught whatever you have. I can feel the apologies waiting to be loosed." He stared at me a moment. "I'm sorry." He smiled tentatively at me. "There's one now."

"James, you don't have to apologize to me. I was out of—" He stepped closer to me, lightly putting a finger to my lips in a gesture similar to one I had done to him not two nights before.

"No. I'm sorry." He chuckled slightly. "It's like the hiccups. I can't stop them bursting forth, but neither do I want to." He put his hands on my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes, his own a depth of worry and guilt.

"I'm sorry that I upset you. I'm sorry that I dragged you into this. I'm sorry that I was so selfish to do those things to you and so arrogant to not realize it sooner. Can you, Emelia Elizabeth, ever forgive me?"

"James, there is nothing to forgive. I would have done the same for any other stranger-turned-friend." I smiled in, what I hoped was, a reassuring way. I was only unsure because James' face fell a little when I spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said again, earnestly. I nodded at him and leaned in to his chest, hugging him. When I pulled back, he was smiling. "You know, they actually don't sound as horrifying as a hiccup. The apologies. And they don't feel nearly as unpleasant. I can see why you don't mind this affliction," he joked.

I hit him lightly on the chest, my hand lingering.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely.

He gasped, his eyes wide. "Is that an infection you have as well? That one probably burns more than the apologies."

"You could afford to contract this one. Might do you a bit of good, even a mild case." I smirked up at him, my hand still on his chest. Upon realizing this, I hastily put my hand down, blushing.

"Ah, see. This one does come with fever. Fever that burns in your cheeks. And, oh, look, spreads down your neck. It disappears into your top just there," He gestured to the neckline of my scrub top. "But I suspect it goes even lower… How low, I wonder?" He looked at me coyly.

This time it was my turn to gasp. "James!"

He chuckled. "Mmmm, I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. You are a wonderful nurse to have cured me so quickly of my ailment."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry, I really have to get back now. My break is just about up." I stepped away to emphasize my point.

"Oh, I, erm… Well, I didn't really get to say what I came to say. That is, I wanted to apologize, and I did, probably not enough, but I will continue to…I just also wanted, I mean, I had more to say in addition to my pathetic attempt at asking for your forgiveness, and," He took a deep breath. "Can I meet you again to talk?"

"Alright, how about our original plan for tonight?" I emphasized original.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'll pick you up around 8?"

I nodded, biting my lip. I was already planning out the rest of my day.

He stepped forward and swiftly kissed me on the crown of my head. "I'll see you later, Remy," He said softly, looking down at me.

"Good bye, James."

He turned and strode out. I watched him leave and as soon as he was out of sight, I sighed and turned to go back to my job. My break was over in a couple minutes.

I looked up to see the group of nurses still standing there, staring wide-eyed at me. What were they looking at?

Had I spilled something down the front of me? Did I manage to get another bloody nose? Or miss some of the blood from my previous one? I quickly checked the front of my scrub top. No, still clean. Or, at least, visibly free of stains.

When I had looked back up, they were all whispering animatedly to each other. Every once in a while, one would gesture towards me and a few pairs of eyes would flit to my face or my left hand. Odd.

I frowned, but continued on my way up to my ward. Perhaps I hadn't done anything too dramatic to set these nurses talking. I'd have to think on it.

I signed off on my computer, having finished my notes for the day, and collected my things to go home. I let out a long, satisfying breath at the realisation of the end of a seemingly endless work day.

It wasn't that the children made my day harder. They were actually my favourite part. The adults, though; parents who think they know better than the medically trained professionals, helicopter parents, absolutely clueless parents and the gossiping nurses,they all made it to the top of my list as being the less enticing parts of my job.

I grabbed my bag and dimmed the lights in the break room, musing about which parent I would be. Helicopter? I chuckled to myself. I'd probably be a very helicopter-y parent.

Helicopter-y. Is that even a word? Perhaps, one could be helicopter-ish?

As I mentally rambled about the many ways to compare oneself to a helicopter, I forgot myself completely and ran right into someone.

"Oh!" I stumbled back a few steps, managing to not fall on my bum. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going! Silly, really, but it's completely my fault. Are you o-" I looked up into the face of James Potter.

"Oh." I breathed out, relieved that I had not just nearly flattened a complete stranger due to my day-dreaming.

His face scrunched up a bit. "You sound a little disappointed to see that its me."

"No! No, I just was going to be extremely embarrassed if I had knocked in to a random bloke on the street, possibly injuring him, whilst I was day-dreaming. However, it's just you."

"Just me?" He frowned.

"Sorry." I chuckled. "What I meant to say was that, I'm glad it was you that I ran into and not some random bloke. Not that I want to hurt you, but, just…er…. I'm sorry." I looked at him, hoping he would understand and accept the apology.

Suddenly, he smiled. "I was only joking with you, love. I knew you were just dying to come see me and couldn't help but throw yourself at me the moment you saw me. Natural, really." He smirked at me.

"Naturally," I said with as much dryness as I could muster.

"So, where to then? Are you hungry? Shall we get something to eat?"

I looked at him quizzically.

"Don't tell me you have forgotten? We have a date tonight." He played hurt.

My silence was enough of an answer for him.

"Oh, Emelia. You wound me! Am I so easily forgotten? So easily tossed aside, used and useless? Do I mean nothing to you?" He was dramatically sighing and gasping and gesturing throughout his whole speech, speaking quite loudly.

"Alright, shh!" I rushed to quiet him.

"No!" He cried out. "It is too late. My heart has shattered. Shattered I say! And only one thing can ever possibly make it whole again." He was like an over the top actor.

"Yes, yes!" I hissed impatiently at him. People were starting to stare. "What is it?"

He removed his arm from across his face, in his latest dramatic pose, and peered at me slyly. "Simple. Go to dinner with me."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"I look awful! Can I go home and change?" I could see him taking a deep breath, preparing to start his dramatic woe-is-me routine again. "No, hey, look, alright? We can go right now."

"Right now?" he parroted my earlier question.

"Right now," I said, my tone clipped.

"Brilliant! I know just the place."

James ended up bringing us to a rather…interesting looking place. One of those places that you can tell has been around a while and has seen it all. The place where the outside looks sketchy, but the food is absolutely amazing. A hidden, not on a map, kind of place.

He smiled largely at me, clearly excited and pulled me inside.

He sat us at a corner table in the back, away from other patrons. It was actually quite busy for a bit later in the evening. Most likely, it was the regulars who knew and loved the place.

"One of my old teammates brought me here once. He introduced me to it. Said it was the best fish he'd ever had. I am completely remiss about not believing him in the first place," he said, gesturing to everything around him.

I took in the restaurant.

It was a greasy spoon type of place. It was small and charming. Warm, cozy, endearing, with different old pictures on the wall of the various frequent diners and of the owners' family. The bright fluorescents inside pushed at the deepening shadows outside and the buzz of many conversations hushed the sounds of London outside.

"It's very cute," I said. Smiling at how it made me feel like a kid again.

"Oh, wait until you try the food. You'll think it more than just cute," James mumbled from behind his menu.

I picked up the menu from in front of me and scanned it briefly.

"They have banana pancakes!" I whispered in awe. I hadn't had banana pancakes since Dad used to make breakfast for my brother and I on weekend mornings.

A waitress bounced over, full of energy and general cheeriness. "What can I get the cute couple today?" She smiled at the two of us, turning her head enough to look between the two of us and making her ponytail swish from side to side.

I opened my mouth to correct her when James interjected with, "I'd like your best burger. Side of chips and water." I shot him an expectant look. "Please."

The girl nodded, writing it all down. "And for you, hun?"

"I'll just have the garden salad and a water, please." I smiled up at her.

"Alright, that'll be just a few minutes and I'll have it right out for you." She collected our menus and bounced away.

"Why didn't you get the pancakes?" James asked me after a beat.

"Pancakes?" I stared blankly at him.

"Yeah, you sounded pretty chuffed about banana pancakes being on the menu," he explained. His brow furrowed as he talked. He looked at me like he was trying to figure me out.

"Oh."

Had he heard that? Did I say it out loud or was he reading my thoughts again? My gaze cut to him quickly, checking to see if he was following my inner dialogue. No, he was seemingly still waiting on my answer.

"Well I….I.." I sighed, looking away. "My dad, he would always make breakfast for Leo and I on the Saturdays or the days where school got cancelled. And after he was done cooking, he would come get Leo, mum and I and we would all eat breakfast together, wherever we wanted. Sometimes, we ate it up in my old tree house." I smiled at the thought of mum and dad squeezing up there to eat with my brother and I.

"He made loads of different dishes for us. We almost never ate the same thing twice in a year, except for banana pancakes. Those were my favourite and he would make them for me whenever I wanted. When he went away on business trips, he would make some ahead of time and have them in the fridge, waiting for me on Saturday morning.

"I haven't had them since… since dad…" I trailed off.

James reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. He gave me a small, reassuring smile; a smile that said "If you want to talk, I'm here."

I shook my head and pulled my hand back to rest in my lap with the other. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"All business with you, Remy." He shook his head and smiled. "Maybe we should wait until after dinner…"

"Come on, James. I don't bite," I pressed, extremely curious as to what this was about.

He hesitated. I made a quick gesture for him to speak.

"Right, so, first of all, thank you for putting up with me and my family these past couple of days." I nodded absently, trying to figure out what he really wanted to say. He scratched the back of his neck and I realised he must be nervous about whatever it was he had to say.

"How are they?" I asked.

"They're great! They're a little upset you aren't around as often as you had been. I think they became accustomed to you…"

"So how are they taking it? Our 'break-up'." I put air quotes around break-up.

"Erm, well…pretty good, actually." He smiled tentatively at me.

"Wonderful!" I clapped my hands together. "And Albus? Is he okay?"

"Al? He's fine. Just as insufferable as ever, though." He rolled his eyes at the mention of his brother.

I smiled. That actually wasn't so bad. Except for the getting upset with James, making Albus faint, losing my blood all over Ginny Potter's floor…

"Ah, so, I haven't actually told them…" James said hesitantly, watching my face.

I cocked my head to the side. "Told them what?"

The waitress suddenly appeared, setting our food on the table before us and leaving once more.

James grabbed some chips and stuffed them in his mouth, looking at everything but me.

"James," I attempted to catch his gaze. "What didn't you tell them?" His mystery game was really keeping me on edge.

James mumbled something through his mouthful of chips.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I chided him. "Now, explain to me what you are talking about." Goodness, if I hadn't already begun to feel like I was turning into Gran, I certainly did now.

James gulped. "I…may have forgotten…to explain properly to my family…that you and I were… not together…anymore."

I blinked.

"Yeah, so, after you left…I just sort of let them think that you had to go back to the flat because of work and your Gran and…erm, yeah."

"So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're family still thinks that we are engaged?" I asked slowly.

James nodded before stuffing more chips in his mouth.

"Okay, we can do that together. I feel like I owe them an explanation anyway." I shrugged, not seeing a problem.

James froze and snapped his gaze down to his plate.

I picked up my fork and started to mix my salad. Just as I was taking a bite of it, James spoke again. "Itoldthemthatyouwerecomingtothegalawithmetomorrownight."

I nearly choked on my lettuce. "I'm sorry?" I coughed out.

"There's a gala tomorrow that the Leveigns put on every year. All of the most notable wizards are invited. I told them that you and I would be attending with the rest of the family." He looked sheepishly up at me.

I took a deep breath. "Alright. I suppose I can do that." I thought over my schedule in my head. It shouldn't interfere with anything.

"Brilliant!" James visibly relaxed.

"Just one question: How long are we supposed to keep pretending?"

"Pretending?" His burger stopped midway to his mouth.

"Yes. Pretending that we are together, that we like each other?" I gestured between the two of us.

"You're pretending to like me?" He looked genuinely hurt.

"No! I'm not pretending to like you; I like you fine! I'm pretending I fancy you is all," I rushed to explain.

"Oh. Right." He looked down at his food. "So you don't fancy me at all?"

"No, of course not!" I laughed. "We were just supposed to pretend, remember?" What would have come of it if one of us had developed feelings for the other? Goodness, it would have been more than a bit messy."

"Right. Okay, yeah. Of course." He paused, thinking. "We can end it tomorrow, if you like? At the gala?"

"Oh, no," I rushed. "I don't want to ruin anyone's night. Especially the people who put their time in to organizing this. How about the next day? We just say that it wasn't going well." I smiled at him, sure of my solution.

"Okay." He still didn't make eye-contact with me. Was what I said wrong in some way?

"James, we can end it at the gala if you like. I didn't mean to push you like that. I just thought it was best for everyone. We can even do it beforehand, if you like!" I tried to correct my mistake. I hadn't meant to upset him.

"Whenever you want is fine," he sighed.

I could see that my attempts at appeasing him had not gone as planned. Maybe it was something else he was upset about.

"Alright, well… how was your day?" I asked, taking another bite of my salad.

"Fine. Just practice and a couple talks with my manager."

"Sounds like an exciting day," I prodded.

"I suppose. How was yours?" He looked at me, clearly interested, yet a bit sad as well.

I laughed. "Mine was brilliant! My job is usually pretty fun." James nodded absently and continued to eat his food.

After a few more attempts at something other than polite, superficial conversation, ones that mostly failed, we had both finished eating. James called the waitress over and payed the check. He stood abruptly and strode from our table.

I scrambled to collect my coat and bag, before hurrying after him.

"James! Wait!" I called after his retreating form.

He stopped walking, his back to me, and waited for me to get next to him before he started his brisk pace again. I had to practically jog to keep up with him.

"You probably have to be somewhere right now, but I just needed to ask what the plan for tomorrow was."

He spun abruptly to face me. He looked more than a bit annoyed and I shrunk back under his steely gaze.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't want to be a bother. If you could just send me an owl, that would be great."

He nodded once. I stepped forward and stretched on tip toes to kiss each of his cheeks in goodbye. He stiffened at my approach, but I pressed on.

"Have a good night, James." I gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry for upsetting you." I stepped back and turned to leave.

He caught my wrist, halting me. "Good night, Remy." His expression was softer now, as he smiled at me.

I nodded and once again made to leave. I heard a small pop and, when I looked back around, James was gone.


	14. Patients and Papers

**A/N: Alright. So, something I completely forgot to mention at the beginning of this story was that this was written in the future (duh haha), but also that it is an idea of a more cohesive future between the muggles and the wizards. What I mean by that is simply that the lines between their two worlds is a bit more blurred than what is depicted in the books. The muggles still don't know of magic or wizards or anything of the sort, but they might recognize some of the more famous wizards (just not as wizards). Examples could be that non-wizard models may be famous in both the muggle world and the wizard world and vice versa. [James is one such model where people on both sides of the divide know of him as a model, but only the wizards know of the rest of his basis for fame.] Correspondingly, the wizards are a little more savvy with muggle technology and general muggle tendencies, which allows them to blend in in the non-magical world a little easier. **

** Hopefully, that track of thinking makes sense and my attempt at clarification was not wholly unsuccessful. **

**Anyway! Let me know you think of the new chapter! Enjoy!**

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><p>It turned out that work the next day was more or less exactly the same as the day before. I still enjoyed it, of course, there just wasn't any new drama. It was peaceful, or, as peaceful as being a nurse in a children's hospital can be.<p>

That is, until I asked my attending if I could have off early for some plans I had that night. The nurses standing near, who had been practically following me all day, tittered when I asked and gathered together to whisper. I looked curiously at them for one second before turning back to my boss.

She smiled at me as if knowing a secret and then agreed that they had enough cover here for me to leave early.

After that, I started noticing more eyes on me. In the hallway, during rounds, at the desk, on break and even conversing with the other nurses, I always seemed to have multiple sets of eyes on me and a whisper behind me.

One little girl finally gave me the answer.

I knocked on her door before stepping quietly in. Her parents were asleep in chairs next to her bed while the girl was wide awake, playing on a electronic tablet of some sort. When she heard my entrance, she looked up.

"Emelia!" she exclaimed, elated. I faltered in my approach to check her charts. How had she known my name? Looking at her chart, I saw that I was not her nurse yesterday, nor the day before. Delilah, one of the gossiping nurses, had been here.

"Good afternoon, Chloe," I said cheerily, hiding my confusion. "How are you this day?"

"Good." She smiled widely at me and held her breath, waiting for something.

"Are you feeling better than yesterday?" I asked, looking at the notes on her chart.

"Yup!" She popped the P.

"Alright," I walked around the side of the bed to check her over. "I'm just going to have a look at you and see where you are, yeah?"

She nodded, but kept her gaze riveted on me. I placed my stethoscope to her back as she leaned forward. "Big breath in for me, sweetheart." She complied and I moved to a different spot on her back "And again…again…And one more time."

"Well, princess, your lungs sound fantastic today!" I enthused, writing it on her chart.

She beamed at me.

"I'm just going to get a few more notes and then I'll be back to check on you later." I bustled about her room, making sure everything was done for her chart, when her mum woke up.

As soon as Chloe saw this, she pushed herself over in the bed to get closer to where her mum was seated.

"Mummy!" She shook her shoulder. "Mummy! You have to wake up and see! It's the lady from the paper!" Her attempted whisper was comically loud, but I kept myself busy as I eavesdropped.

Her mom roused instantly at her daughter's urgent tone. She whipped her head round, surveying the room for any signs of a threat.

"Muuuum!" Chloe pressed. "It's her! Emelia! She's here" This time, Chloe didn't even try to hush her voice. She began bouncing on the bed, waving a paper from her bedside about. She pushed it in to her mother's hands.

"Hush, Chloe. Your inside voice, please."

"But, you don't understand! That's her!" She pointed a small finger excitedly in my direction. "That's Emelia Renaldi!" At this point, I stopped my charade of working and stood, clutching her chart to my chest, watching the whole exchange.

Chloe's mother looked up at me and a spark of recognition entered her eyes. She turned back to her daughter and murmured something so only Chloe could hear.

"Oh, sorry." Chloe loud whispered.

"Good morning," her mother said towards me.

It took me a second to unfreeze myself, but, eventually, I responded. "Actually, it would be a good afternoon, Mrs. Kinsfeld. You slept through the morning." I smiled at her, and winked at Chloe.

Chloe giggled at her mother's confusion. "Silly, mummy!"

I returned Chloe's chart to the foot of her bed.

I hesitated in asking my next question. "If you don't mind my asking, what paper am I in?"

Chloe's mother blushed and averted her gaze. She gave a slight cough to conceal her discomfort.

Chloe, on the other hand, grabbed the paper back out of her mother's hands and waved it at me, pointing animatedly. "All of them! Mummy and daddy only bought one kind, but you were on the cover of all of the ones I saw!"

I hesitated. Why would I be in a muggle paper?

I slowly approached and reached out for the paper. "May I?"

Chloe nodded enthusiastically and pushed the paper in to my waiting hand. She then patted the bed next to her, indicating I should sit down with her.

The paper was not in fact a muggle paper, but one that was meant for muggle and wizards. However, when a muggle had it, it appeared to be any other kind of newspaper. Some of the content was the same, but the pictures did not move, the stats were on Barclay's and not on quidditch and there was no mention of galleons in the stocks section.

I glanced quickly at Chloe's family. What could they see? The muggle enchantment or the authentic wizard side?

Chloe's mother caught my gaze and furtively untucked her wand from her coat pocket. I gave her a small smile and nodded.

I halfway sat on the bed next to Chloe and fearfully turned my eyes to the article.

Well, I didn't really need to look for it, a picture of James and I was splashed across the the front of the paper, above the fold.

_London's Most Eligible Off the Market?_

_James Potter, quidditch star, steamy male model, and one of England's most eligible bachelors is no longer available. Sorry, ladies. He has recently been seen around with a brunette beauty by the name of Emelia Renaldi. The two, pictured above, have been seen in various parts of London together, having an intimate dinner or taking a romantic stroll through the rain. James has even been spotted visiting Renaldi at her place of employment, a muggle children's hospital._

_A witness said Renaldi and Potter were very excited to see each other and appeared very close in their interactions with one another, openly displaying their affections. "He couldn't keep his hands off her!" _

_A source close to the couple claimed that the pair have been meeting secretly in secluded dinners and cafes to spend time together. _

_So why all the secrecy? _

_"__James and Emelia did not want all of the attention they knew it would bring. They wanted to get to know each other as people rather than camera-stalked celebrities. It would have put a strain on their relationship." _

_Though it is unclear how long the two have been truly dating, they recently took the next step! Emelia has been spotted flashing a stunningly gorgeous sparkler on her left hand as of late. That's right! They are engaged. _

_If there was any doubt before, let there be none now. James reportedly spent over 15,000 on the ring (pictured below). He spared no expense when it came to professing his love for Emelia. _

_The two have not announced a set date for their nuptials, but it has been rumored that they are planning on a spring wedding. _

_For now, the young, twitter-pated lovers are content spending time together and with one another's families. _

_Keep watch for more photos of the happy couple, (including never before seen engagement photos!) and more news on the wedding. Cheers, Emelia and James! _

The article was followed by several pictures of James and I. Some were from us volunteering, one was of the first time he approached me during the mural painting session in the rain, another was of the two of us at dinner last night.

I groaned. The largest picture was yesterday when he came to the hospital to talk to me and I had caught myself with my hand resting on his chest. With my proximity (we were practically chest to chest), to him and how I was smiling up at him, in combination with the placement of my hand, it looked as if I actually did love him. Although, he was smiling down at me fondly as well…

They must have caught us at the exact right moment because that is not how the interaction occurred at all.

On top of how it appeared we were, my hand in the photo had the huge diamond ring James had used to 'propose' on it, front and center, drawing a lot of the initial attention. It was as stunning of a ring as the article described and the picture didn't do it justice.

I gasped suddenly and my left hand flew up to where I could inspect it. Sure enough, the diamond studded band was still wrapped around my finger. I had completely forgot to give it back to James! No wonder people thought we were engaged. I was still wearing the bloody ring he gave me!

Oh, Emelia, how could you be so daft?

All of a sudden, a much smaller hand grabbed my own. Chloe pulled my hand close to her face, cooing over my ring.

"Chloe!" Her mother reprimanded her.

"But it's so pretty, mummy! Look!" She yanked my hand farther over so her mother could see.

"It's very nice dear, though I'm sure that your nurse would like her hand back." She looked meaningfully at Chloe.

Chloe stopped pulling on me, but did not release her hold. Instead, she brought he other hand up to clasp around my hand.

"Is he your prince charming?" She asked me, doe-eyed.

I couldn't disappoint her. She needed to believe in fairytales. She needed to believe there was good in the world, and if I could preserve that blessing just a bit longer, then I would.

"Yes," I smiled down at her. "He is my prince."

"Have you kissed him?" She demanded.

I laughed while her mother reprimanded her once more.

"Well, do you love him?" She watched me expectantly. How was I ever to respond to that?

"Er… well…" Was I to lie to her? "Yes. I love him very much. He wouldn't be my prince charming if I did not care about him so."

Chloe squealed and flopped back on her bed. "You're like a real life princess!"

"There are many real life princesses! Why, I am looking at one right now," I explained to her.

"Who?" She whipped her head around, looking throughout the room for any new-comers.

"You, silly! Princess Chloe!" I stood and curtsied for her. "Pleased to meet you, your highness."

She giggled. "I'm not a princess! I'm just a girl."

"Oh, but you are a princess! Only princesses have as bright a smile and as kind a heart as you, Princess Chloe. And only true princesses are as brave as you."

"You really think so?" She asked, her tone hopeful.

"Most certainly, your majesty!" Her smile grew at the prospect of being a princess.

"We can be princesses together!" she exclaimed.

"I would love to! But, for now, I have to go back to work. It was nice meeting you, Princess Chloe." I curtsied again. "I hope we will see each other again when you are back home in your castle."

Chloe waved at me before turning to engage her mother in what was probably going to be quite a long talk. I quietly shut the door on my way out.

Halfway down the hall, I realised I still had the paper. I glanced at the top photo again. I really needed to talk to James.

At that moment, my mobile rang. It was something I wasn't supposed to have, but sometimes you break the rules, right?

I pulled it out of my pocket and checked it. James. Was he psychic or what?

"Hello," I laughed as I answered. His ability to seemingly always know what I was thinking was uncanny.

"Good morning, Remy." He chirped into the other side of the phone. "Any chance you are free today?" he inquired, hopefully. His mood was drastically different from last night.

"I am actually at work right now, and, before you ask, no, I cannot get off right now. However, I have requested to take of early today so that I can go to the gala."

He huffed into the other side of the phone, unhappy that I had, for once, predicted his thoughts and cut him off. "What time do you get off?" He sounded a bit distracted.

"Er, like 1? Possibly 12?" I multi-tasked and started sorting some of the papers laid out on the nurses station for filing.

"Okay. And how did you get to work, this morning?" He was a bit farther away from the phone and it was almost impossible to hear him.

"I-"

"You know what. Don't answer that. Call me when you are going to leave work."

"James, I can get home alright. I drove-"

"Just promise me, that you will call me _before you leave_." He enunciated the last three words.

"I'm sorry, but why? I don't understa-"

"Remy, please." His tone was more weary now, and pleading.

"Okay," I relented.

"Call me," he emphasized his point.

"I promise, James. I will call you before I leave work."

"Thank you," he sighed, sounding relieved.

I pursed my lips, waiting for any kind of explanation.

"….Okay," I finally said when there was only a few seconds of silence. "I apologize, but I have to get back to work now. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. Tonight. Remy…Be safe," he said earnestly. What would I possibly need to be safe from? Without a good-bye, he hung up.

I turned around from my filing to finish my rounds when I was stopped by a flock of hovering nurses. They all looked anticipatingly at me, practically pushing one another out of the way in order to be closest to me. They all leaned in, hungry for what they thought would be details about James and I.

"Alright!" A voice snapped them from their trances. "Get back to work, ladies. You all have jobs to do." My boss came up, shooing them away. They all flew from their perches, off to check vitals and administer medications.

Then, she came up to me. "Emelia, I think it might be best if you go home," she said slowly. "We have enough nurses, and, I'm not saying you're not needed, but you are a bit of a distraction to the rest of my staff."

At my hurt expression she continued, "Not by your own fault! I mean, hey, you can't choose who you love, right? None the less, you deserve a couple days off anyway. Go home. Enjoy your engagement. Let this all blow over. We can handle it here." She smiled reassuringly at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I held my breath, waiting for more. I just knew she was going to end up firing me. I suppose I deserved it. I had created a spectacle out of the hospital and that was not helpful to the staff nor the patients.

Apparently, she could see the apprehension on my face. "Breathe, Emelia! I'm not firing you," she chuckled. "You're one of the best I have. I need you. I just think that you could use a little time to sort some things out, yeah?"

I nodded, biting my lip. "I'm sorry," I finally said. And I was. I hadn't meant to cause all of this. "Call me when I can—…Call me?"

She smiled and nodded, waving me off toward the lift to the lobby.

I leaned against the back of the lift, letting my head thud against the wall. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. This had gotten out of control.

I kept my head down as I rushed through the lobby, trying to dodge stares and evade any attention. I felt mildly successful until I stepped outside and a barrage of flashes and clicks hit me full force. I was blinded by flash bulbs going off and I could have gone deaf if I stood out in the roar of voices shooting questions at me.

I stumbled backwards, past the security guards that I hadn't noticed before, and into the relative safety of the substantially quieter lobby.

What. Was. That.

I chanced a glance back through the doors to examine the rapid flashes, though they were much less intense through the tinted glass.

If these paparazzi where here because of me…. Oh my goodness. This was too far out of control.

Suddenly, something clicked in my brain. I pulled out my mobile and redialed the last number. After a few rings, James picked up.

"Help me!" I cried into the phone, uncaring of the people in the lobby watching me.

"Remy? Where are you?" He asked urgently. He sounded almost worried.

"I'm at the hospital and—"

"Hospital?" He asked, now more panicked than worried. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?" He pressed on, asking questions in rapid fire.

"No. No. My work. I'm at work. And you said to call you before I left, but my boss made me leave earlier than I expected so I forgot and I just tried to walk out, but they're all out there and I couldn't see or hear and they're all still there waiting for me and I just can't do it." I explained in a rush. Why couldn't he just read my thoughts now and understand that he just needed to come help me?

A relieved sigh came through the line. "Ah, I see. Wait there for me."

I nodded before realizing that he wouldn't be able to see. "Okay." I whispered back, sniffing. I could feel the tears pooling, but crying wouldn't help me now…Nor would it make the prettiest headline photo for the papers tomorrow morning.

"I'm on my way. Don't move."

"Hurry," I begged. "Please." While I was okay with my last plea sounding desperate, I had not wanted it to turn into the half sob that it did.

I clutched my mobile to my ear, listening to James' breathing, trying to match mine to his. He was most likely unaware that the call was ongoing, but I needed something to keep me distracted. I kept the noise on my end to a minimum so that he wouldn't find out and end it.

Behind me, a door slammed and footsteps came pounding across the ground toward me. "Emelia!"

I whirled, expecting more cameras and hungry reporters. Instead, James was there.

I ran straight to him. Pushing myself into his chest, hoping I could find sufficient refuge there, I finally let the tears fall. A couple quiet, hitching sobs escaped as well.

James, for his part, wrapped his arms around me and smoothed down my hair, gently telling me that I was okay. I looked up through watery eyes to see his face. Was he mad at me? He should be mad at me.

"I'm so sorry," I said, though it was almost a wail. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It's all my fault! I have the ring and I should have been more careful," I sobbed as I tucked my head back into his chest.

"Hey, shh, it's not your fault. Shh, Remy. Are you hurt?" He pulled me away from him slightly to look me over. I shook my head mutely. Satisfied, he pulled me back into his embrace and tucked my head under his chin. "Shh, you're alright." He rocked me from side to side slowly.

"How's it sound we go home, yeah?" He asked softly, rubbing my arm. Without a response from me, he gently shifted me so that I was underneath his arm. I didn't feel as guarded as before, but it was better than being completely defenseless against the savage reporters. He pulled us back through the door he had come through, a supply closet. "Brace yourself, we're apparating."

I clutched his arm, my arm winding around his hip to secure me to him. I felt the familiar jerk and rushing sensation and when I opened my eyes, we were in James' flat.

Upon realizing the seclusion and relative safety, I completely broke down. Tears rushed down my face, unchecked. I probably looked utterly atrocious and — I'm really sorry Gran — un-lady like, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"I'm so sorry, James. I can't believe that I've caused this, that I've made your life so difficult. It honestly never occurred to me that this sort of thing would happen." I looked up at him, wiping my face. "Please forgive me," I beseeched.

"No."

I nodded and looked down. I understood that what I had done was horrible. He gently grasped my chin between his index and thumb and pulled my face up.

"I cannot forgive you…because there is nothing to forgive. Nothing that you have done has caused any of this," he said earnestly. "Can you understand that?" He looked into my eyes imploringly.

"Yes," I replied. I exhaled shakily, trying to steady myself.

"Now, what say you we grab a little lunch? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

I laughed at his antics, rolling my eyes. Of course he would be starving.

Remembering my experience at the hospital, I asked tentatively "Do we have to go out there?"

"No," he chuckled. "I have some food in the kitchen." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me after him in his search for food. He steered me toward the counter and sat me in one of the seats there. "Would you like a sandwich?" He gestured towards the fridge.

"No, thank you. I'm not all that hungry." I smiled gratefully at him. His casual interaction was making me feel loads better.

"You need to eat more," He chided, ducking in to the fridge. He surfaced with an arm load of sandwich making ingredients.

Dumping them on the counter, he got to work layering them all to create his master piece. He put the final slice of bread on top and sighed. "Ah, isn't she lovely?" He stared dreamily at the sandwich before taking the largest bite possible.

I giggled.

"Mmmmm," he hummed in satisfaction. "Thith ith tho good," he said around his mouthful. I scrunched my nose at the chewed up sandwich in his mouth. "Sure you wouldn't like some?" I shook my head, having lost any desire to eat after seeing James talk with his mouth full.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged and plopped down into the seat next to me.

I watched James devour his creation for a bit before I realised that I was staring. Instead, I decided to focus my attention on my hands; specifically, my left hand and the giant ring affixed to my finger. I gently twisted it off; an act that had required quite a bit more effort than I initially would have thought.

"Here." I held it up to James. "You probably want this back."

He wiped his mouth, staring confusedly at the ring. "How did you…get that off?"

"It was a bit difficult to get off, but I just…" I mimed my earlier efforts for him, showing how I twisted it until I could wiggle it off.

"Yeah, but, that ring is enchanted. In order to get it off you'd have to…" He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Anyway, you need to keep it on for tonight. I'll have it back after that." The colder, more emotionless James from the other night was back. He cleaned his place, brushing crumbs in to his hand to throw away, and left the kitchen.

"James?" I called out. "What time should I be ready by?"

"6." Succinct.

I nodded and checked the time. I still had six more hours roughly.

"Emelia?" A feminine voice called from the entry. "James?" Lily walked in to the kitchen, her eyes latching on to me.

"Emelia!" She sang, throwing herself at me. "How are you? Other than utterly famous?" She grinned excitedly at me as she practically bounced in place. "I saw every article! Everyone loves you! And they are going to love you even more after they see how gorgeous you are at the gala tonight!" Her eyes sparkled with unbridled joy.

"Oh, it's going to be such fun! I always love these types of parties!" She gushed. "I haven't decided on what I'm going to wear. I think I have it narrowed down to a couple of dresses, but they're all so different, you know? How do I choose?" She gestured wildly about herself, emphasizing her distress.

"Do I go with a color or black? Strapless or off the shoulder? And then there is the matter of my shoes and my hair! Ugh, I am totally unprepared. I—"

"Breathe, Lily," I joked.

She huffed at me and smiled. "Alright, Miss Calm and Collected, what are you going to be wearing?" She arched one eyebrow at me. "Come on then, let's have it."

I groaned. I had only now realised that I had nothing to wear. "I don't have anything!"

Lily's whole face lit up instantly. "I know just the solution." She clapped her hands together and squealed.

I looked at her warily. This couldn't be good.

"Excuse me while I make a few calls." She whirled and pranced off towards the living room, already talking a mile a minute on her mobile.

Meanwhile, my mobile starting chirping at me. "Hello?" I answered.

"Something you'd like to share with me, sis?"

I gasped.

Leo.

**A/N: See! Leo is not dead! ...but he might be a little peeved. Now that whole world knows about the 'engagement'...so, how do you think the whole wold will react?**


	15. Gowns and Girl-Time

**A/N: Thank you for all of you lovely reviews! It always makes me so happy to see what you like about the story and any suggestions you have! **

**Quick note that this chapter is all about girl time with Lily and Emelia**

**So, with that, enjoy the newest update and let me know what you think!**

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><p><em>Previously:<em>

_Meanwhile, my mobile starting chirping at me. "Hello?" I answered._

"Something you'd like to share with me, sis?"

_I gasped._

_Leo._

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><p>I had forgotten to talk to Leo about all of this. Granted, it wasn't supposed to go public and it hadn't even been a full week since this charade started, but he was probably going crazy trying to understand right now.<p>

"I get up today, and every print I see has my sister and some bloke splashed across the front of it, claiming they are getting married." He sounded a bit angry.

"I'm sorry! I truly am! This wasn't supposed to be in the papers! Tell me Gran hasn't seen this yet!" I could only hope that Gran had not learned of my 'engagement'.

"No, she hasn't. You know she doesn't like to read the gossip pages." I bit my lip, slightly relieved. "That still doesn't explain anything. What do you mean it wasn't supposed to be in the papers? You wanted to keep it a secret?"

"It's not much of a secret, really!" I pushed. "You and Gran weren't even supposed to find out, let alone half the nation."

"Gran and I weren't supposed to find out? Bloody hell, Remy! Why wouldn't I want to know about my sister getting _engaged_! Were you just going to elope with the bloke? Why wouldn't you want us to know? Is there something else you're not telling me?" He was beyond angry now.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen, honestly! I was just trying to protect you and Gran!" Why couldn't he understand that? The more people that knew about this, the more likely it was that it would get out. Unfortunately, the method of thinking was flawed because it had gotten out anyway. Exploded, more like.

"Protect us? From what? Emelia, you are making zero sense! Is he threatening you? Tell me right now, Emelia. I'm going to put a stop to it."

Threatening me? "What-No! He isn't threatening me, Leo. It's not like that!"

And then I remembered that I hadn't told him about the _fake_ engagement. I let out a low groan.

"I'm sorry, Leo. This is all just a misunderstanding, okay? I have not announced publicly that I am getting engaged to James. We are _not _ setting a wedding date, especially not one in spring. I have no idea how the papers got that information, but it wasn't from me."

He sighed over the phone and I could tell he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "I still don't understand. Why would they even have this idea in the first place, then?" I could tell he wanted to believe me, but the evidence provided convinced him otherwise.

"I have to go now, Leo. Someone's here, but I promise I will talk to you later! I'll explain the whole thing!" I pleaded with him. "Just…don't tell Gran? I don't want her freaking out."

He snorted. "I'm not trying to give Gran a heart attack."

"Thank you!"

"You owe me an explanation, Emelia," he said sternly. "And, if I see that you've run off with this git, he'll be seeing me very soon."

"I promise you a full explanation and that I will not run off with the guy in the papers! I love you, brother dear!" I sang in to the phone, relieved that, for now, it was going to be okay.

"Yeah, yeah," he huffed. His tone softened after that. "I love you, Remy. Be careful, please. For me."

"Always." He hung up just as Lily bounded back in. I tossed my mobile on the counter, frustrated.

"It is all set! We are going to have the best day ever!" She twirled, ridiculously excited for whatever scheme she had just concocted.

"First things first: shower. Not that you smell bad, but it's always best to start with a fresh canvas!" She pushed me in the direction of the stairs, indicating that I should go shower.

I hurried to comply and came back down in a pair of James boxers that I had liberated and my tank top that I was previously wearing under my scrubs.

"Perfect!" Lily exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the counter. "Come this way, my darling." She pulled me to the living room. "James!" she shouted. "Get your arse in here!"

"Lily! I'm sure he's busy!"

She shrugged. "He can go be busy somewhere else. We have work to do here and I don't want him in the way."

"We can go somewhere else. This is his flat, after all," I explained quietly, hoping Cold James wouldn't emerge.

"Isn't it yours too?" Lily's face scrunched in confusion as she examined my face.

I floundered for a bit. "Well, yes, but…It was his before mine and…er…in his name." Not my best explanation.

She shrugged and turned to yell for James again.

"Lily!" I rushed to stop her. "Why don't we go to your house? Much more room for…whatever it is you have planned." I was so hoping she would take my suggestion.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully before nodding enthusiastically. "Brilliant, Em!" She grabbed my hand. "Never mind, James! I'm taking your fiancée with me!"

James emerged at the top of the stairs. Where had he been? I was just up there when I showered…

"What is it you're on about, Lily?" He was not amused with her noise-making.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to let you know that you can't see Em for the rest of the day. I'm stealing her for some girl-time." She smiled sweetly at her brother.

James' eyes cut to me, but his face still remained impassive. I shrugged helplessly by way of response.

"Well, go on. Say goodbye, you two." Lily pushed me in the direction of James.

I stumbled a bit, trying to catch myself. I stopped a few meters away from the bottom of the stairs and looked up at James. Slowly, I made my way up, never breaking eye-contact. I approached him and stepped into his personal space. My face was centimeters from his.

"I'll see you later?" I murmured, hoping that he wasn't still mad. I looked in his eyes, searching.

He kissed me swiftly on the forehead and turned away. He strode down the hallway without a word.

I watched after him a moment before returning back to Lily's side.

She scrutinized my face. "Quarreling?"

I sighed. "Papparazzi. Not the best way to announce an engagement," I said sourly.

She nodded in understanding before taking my hand again. "Ready?" she chirped. Without a clear warning, she apparated us back to her house.

Over the next few hours, I was poked, prodded, pulled, painted, and polished for the gala. Lily called it a spa day. She had called in a team to help us get ready.

In preparation, Lily had insisted that I get a manicure and pedicure, various salt scrubs and massages, hair treatments, masks and moisturizing regimens done. Though it sounded utterly exhausting, in the end, I felt as relaxed and refreshed as I had before this whole thing started.

Then came the dresses. While my nails were drying, Lily called in a stylist who pushed in a rack full of dresses. He held up each one for Lily and I to look at and make a decision on. Some of them were a little too out there for me, but Lily coo-ed over almost every single one.

We sat in our cushy seats and let ourselves be fed and offered drinks as we critiqued the selection.

Once there was a sufficient pile of potential candidates, Lily gestured for me to have at them. "Model them for me, Em."

I sighed as I surveyed the rack of potentials. I grabbed the first one and trudged into the next room to change. This was going to take a while.

Walking out of the room, I waited for Lily's reaction. The dress was a fairly simple compared to the rest. It was champagne colored. The top was very modest, with a higher neckline and straps that were a few centimeters wide. It was encrusted in glittering jewels until it hit the waistline and then the fabric was left in simplicity to flow to the ground.

Lily looked a moment then, "Pretty, but not enough. Next." She sipped on her drink, waving me back into the room.

The next dress was form-fitting, a trumpet style, with ruching on the whole gown except for where if flared out at mid-calf. It was a bright red satin. I tottered out, unable to truly walk in it.

Lily's reply was brutally quick. "No." She shrugged. "Sorry, Em."

It continued this way for a while. Some of the dresses looked downright awful on me, with feathers and mock bustles and scary high slits. I rejected them before Lily could.

Some of the dresses, I thought, looked pretty good. They weren't too revealing or sexy and had a reasonable amount of embellishment. Lily agreed that they looked alright, but they apparently weren't good enough.

I pulled on the last gown, knowing just by looking at it that Lily was going to say it wasn't enough. It was an extremely understated silvery-white gown with long, fitted sleeves. It was form-fitting, without being tight, until just below my hips where it cascaded to the ground. The fabric pooled around my feet, glimmering softly. The back, however was extremely low. It was a cowl back that exposed my shoulder blades and whole back until just above my bum.

From the front it was modest, yet with a mysterious and lingering air of sultriness. The neckline was high, the sleeves long and the slit in the side was tasteful, coming midway up my back was where all the drama was. It was extremely light for the amount of fabric. Not that there was a lot, just a bit more than a simple sheath dress.

I absolutely loved it. I just hoped Lily didn't disapprove.

I walked out slowly, my shoulders back, head high, hoping that I could prove to her just how great the dress was. She was distracted by one of the masseuses who was currently holding a very animated conversation with her.

I cleared my throat. "Lily."

Her head whipped around to look at me. For once, she didn't say anything. Her face was completely blank, devoid of any emotion that might have given away her opinion on the gown.

She cocked her head to the side and motioned for me to spin slowly. I complied, letting her get an extended view of the back. When I had turned in a full circle and was facing her again, her lips were pursed.

"It's really nothing special, Em." My heart sank. "Honestly, it's nice, but I just feel like you deserve so much more…" She turned to the designer and starting asking questions on whether or not he had anything else he could pull for me.

I stood there, looking down at the dress. Finally, accepting Lily's dismissal, I shuffled back into the other room to put my spa robe back on. After I had taken it off, I held the gown up to get another look at it. I really thought it would have been perfect.

I hung the dress up and went to join Lily again in the main room.

Upon seeing me, she jumped up excitedly, clapping her hands together. "Em! Giorgio says that he can make you a dress! We already have some great ideas going! We're thinking a rich, mysterious blue. Oh," she sighed. "It's going to be beautiful!"

"Er, Lily, that sounds really nice, but can the dress be made by tonight?" I looked to Giorgio, really directing my question at him.

"Of course! Oh, Gi, we have a lot of work to do!" Lily trilled.

"I'm thinking flowers. Big fabric flowers!" He was just as excited as Lily.

"Perfect! That is so in right now! What if we made it strapless with a low-cut back, show off some skin," she mused.

"I have this beautiful french lace that would work wonderfully!" Giorgio put in. The two of them left the room arm in arm, practically skipping. I just shook my head and chuckled. Lily was quite the fire cracker.

I turned to the nearest person and asked what was next. A girl named Zaphria pulled me into a chair to start trying out different makeup looks on me. I just let her do it without any input. I didn't know much as I wasn't much of a makeup wearer in the first place.

Zaphria played around with bright eye shadows and dark lipsticks, showing me each completed look. Every single one was stunning, though maybe not something I would wear myself.

Lily came back in followed by Giorgio. "Oh, Em!" she gushed. "You look amazing!"

Giorgio kissed the back of my hand. "Absolutely stunning," he complimented me.

I blushed. "Thank you."

"Alright, Em, Giorgio is working on your dress, now we need to figure out mine." She pulled me back to the chairs we were previously sat in and indicated that I should sit.

She went in the next room and changed into the first gown. Coming out, she was far more dramatic than I was. She strutted across the room, striking a pose at the end, before turning and strutting back. At the end, she gave us one last Vogue look before blowing a kiss. Giorgio and I cheered for her, clapping and whistling.

She bowed and then looked expectantly for our opinion.

"Beautiful!" Giorgio and I both exclaimed.

"Eh, I don't think it will work." She turned abruptly and went to put on another.

Giorgio and I looked at each other before we broke out into fits of giggles.

Finally, after what was actually quite a short fashion show, Lily had decided on one of her own gowns that was a deep green. It complimented her hair and complexion ridiculously well. Both Giorgio and I begged her to wear that one the moment we saw it on her.

When she had taken it off and sent the dress up to her room for when she was to get ready for the party, she finally glanced at the clock. "Hmm, we have less than an hour before we need to be ready," she said to herself.

I gasped. "What? I thought we had to be ready by 6!" I scrambled to find a clock to check and see if my sense of time was accurate. We should still have over an hour and a half left to get ready.

Lily smiled at me. "Yeah, but pictures are before! Don't worry, we can be a little late. The boys will wait on us."

"Lily!"

"You cannot rush beauty, Em!" She explained. "Especially when dreamy guys like Nicolas Amari and Ashton Hartley are going to be there." Her eyes glossed over at the thought of the afore mentioned men and she pretended to swoon dramatically.

I rolled my eyes playfully at her dramatic flare. "Well, if we actually get ready now, we won't have to be late, and, therefore, you can spend more time with Austin and Nick."

"Ashton and Nicolas!" She cried indignantly.

"Right. Them. Come on!" I pulled her towards the stairs. "Get your behind in gear! We have a gala to get ready for!"

"Somebody is excited." She laughed behind me, obediently following after me.

And I realised that I was excited. Though the circumstances weren't ideal, it should still be rather enjoyable. It was a night off to talk to and get to know knew people. Plus, I just had one of the most relaxing and rejuvenating afternoons courtesy of Lily's team.

"Miss Renaldi!" Giorgio's voice came from behind me.

"Go!" I pushed Lily up the stairs. "You better look stunning by pictures or those boys may have met other girls by the time you arrive," I warned, mock seriously. She bolted towards her room.

I turned to talk to Giorgio, but he was behind me pushing a garment bag into my arms. "Here you go. Your outfit for the evening. If I do say so myself, it is trés magnifique. I have a fantastic eye when it comes to fashion." He kissed either of my cheeks before stepping back. He smiled proudly at me and I saw a small, mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you, Giorgio. I'm sure it will be completely wonderful." I gave him a polite smile, wondering just what the dress would look like. When did he even have time to make this dress?

When I looked up to ask him, he was gone. I looked around for him, but I was the only one left in the room. The rest of the team had disappeared as well.

I carried the bag up to James' room, which I was using to get ready, noticing how light it was. With all of the embellishments Giorgio and Lily were talking about adding, I would have thought it would have weighed more.

I laid the garment bag carefully on the bed, hoping it wouldn't wrinkle, and turned toward the bathroom. I sighed, not even knowing where to start. I had never actually gotten this done-up before. I supposed I could brush my hair out and go from there?

Suddenly, a group of people burst in to the room, carrying in loads of bags and cases and boxes. One even brought in a folding makeup chair and large mirror.

The mirror was set on top of the dresser and the chair positioned in front of it. Someone gently pushed me toward it and I took it that I was to sit in this chair.

I sat down slowly, examining the people bustling around, setting up various stations.

All at once, someone came up behind me and started gently brushing through my hair. Because my hair was naturally tame and shiny, the brush glided through without much fuss. Another two people started to vigorously rub, what I assume was some sort of lotion or cream, on my legs. Yet another of the group began wiping my face with some sort of cloth, taking extra time to scrub around and on my eyes.

This flurry of activity went on around me while I just sat there.

Eventually, the person brushing my hair moved on to massaging something into my hair, and the people rubbing my legs moved to rubbing my arms.

After a few minutes, they all stopped. I opened my eyes to see what they were up to now. One of them reached for my hands and gently pulled me up out of the chair. The robe was being pulled off of my shoulders and I quickly reached to clutch it closed.

They all tittered before my hands were moved away and the robe was once again pulled from me. A petite woman stepped forward, holding out a small bag for me.

I took it hesitantly. Looking inside, it was a set of lacy, white lingerie for underneath my dress. It was much daintier and sexier than what I currently had on, which probably needed to be replaced anyway.

The same petite woman guided me toward the washroom, indicating that I should change. It was strange how they didn't talk. Not a single word was uttered…until I stepped into the washroom and shut the door. After that, I could hear their hushed voices crashing over each other.

I slipped on the new lingerie, complete with cheeky, lace knickers and a matching suspender belt. There also was what I only assumed could be a modern corset. It was of see-through lace, but with a bit of structure from some sort of support system. It was supposed to be in place of a bra, but I didn't see how it would offer any support for my breasts because there was almost no back. There was a small ribbon at the very bottom, holding it together, but other than that, there was no back.

I started to put it on, unsure of it realistic use, when it magically hugged itself to my body.

"Oh!" I gasped. A magical corset.

I looked myself over in the mirror. I'd never admit this to anyone, but I looked good! I struck a sultry pose, pouting a bit like the models did. My stomach was smooth and my waist tiny. My legs and arms were nicely toned, and, when I turned to the side, my bum looked rather nice in the lace as well.

I giggled and gathered my knickers and bra from the floor and shoved them in to the now empty bag, opening the door back to the room.

"Which dress?" A gracefully tall woman asked me. At my blank stare, she gestured toward the bed, the question still in her eyes.

I approached the bed, trying to find a second dress, but only saw the garment bag Giorgio had given me earlier. A small cough interrupted my search. I turned slightly to my left to see a man holding up a deep blue evening dress. One that had a number of ruffles and flowers across it. Though it was tasteful, really it was, it just wasn't my style. It looked more like it would suit Lily.

Confused, I turned back to the bed. I slowly reached out for the zip, pulling it downward to expose silvery-white fabric that spilled out.

I smiled and yanked the zip the rest of the way down, inhaling sharply at seeing the dress. I could kiss Giorgio right now.

For a moment, I was caught between the two. I felt bad, not wanting to wear the dress Lily had designed for me. She had put so much work in to it and I didn't want to let her down. All she wanted was for me to feel beautiful.

On the other hand, I was madly in love with the white dress. I ran my hand over the silky fabric longingly. I couldn't let Lily down.

I sighed and turned back to my team of stylists. The man held up the blue dress with his eyebrow quirked, asking me once again.

"Er- actually, would it be awful if I wore the white?" I asked, tentatively.

They cheered at my decision, giving each other high-fives. The man holding up the blue dress grinned at me before tossing it over the back of a chair. Apparently, they liked my decision as well.

The white dress was brought forward and hung on a hook near my makeup chair. Once again, I was seated and the group was fluttering all around me.

"Erm," I began quietly. "May I put in a suggestion?"

They all waited for me to continue.

"I was thinking more of a classic, glamour look. Maybe some softer, styled waves swept to the side and a bold yet simple makeup? Does that make sense?" I asked shyly, looking from face to face.

The makeup artists of the group stepped back, envisioning it. They nodded enthusiastically and got to work.

I sat patiently, letting them work. In a relatively quick amount of time, they had finished and the hair stylists took over curling and spraying my hair.

When I was all done, they stepped away, scrutinizing me. I watched with baited breath. They all beamed at me and hugged each other. I took it as a good sign. They turned my chair so that I could see myself in the mirror.

My long, rich, brown hair was swept over to one side in large, soft finger waves that gleamed in the light. The part that didn't sit on my shoulder cascaded down my back. The side part caused the non-swept side to fall partially in front of my eye, giving me a more mysterious look.

My makeup was exactly as I had envisioned. The eyeliner was dark grey, boarding on black, and in a thick line across my lash line. It had a sweeping wing on the end. They had applied mascara to make my lashes darker, longer, and fuller, and painted on a deep red lipstick to make my lips pop. The smokey eyeshadow and blush were minimal compared to the rest and there was even a little bit of highlighting and contouring to emphasize my cheekbones and jawline more.

In short, I was perfect, or perfect to what I had envisioned. I just hoped I looked good enough to be with the Potters. Good enough that Lily wouldn't be too upset at my choice in dress.

Two stylists came forward and helped me into a pair of white stilettos. Another four stepped forward with my dress and guided me into it. They stood me up and smoothed the dress down, checking for anything wrong.

I turned to the full-length mirror propped against the wall. Suddenly, I was nervous. I looked exactly how I had wanted to, but what if I didn't look right for the gala? Was I fashionable? Would I even come close to looking like I belonged with the James' family?

I bit my lip. I so hoped I wasn't going to embarrass them. A small hand lightly rapped against my arm, reminding me that I had lipstick on. I smiled sheepishly at the petite woman from before. She pulled out a wand and put some sort of enchantment on my makeup to make it stay. She nodded once, satisfied with her work.

I was ready to leave when a hand grabbed my wrist and pushed a glittering bracelet onto it. Large, sparkling earrings appeared on my ears to match the bracelet. Lastly, a small clutch was handed to me to hold anything I might need.

"Thank you," I said earnestly. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them.

They all blew me air kisses and started to shoo me out the door. I complied and waved at them as I walked out. Giorgio met me at the top of the stairs.

"A masterpiece in motion." He held his hand out to me and spun me slowly. "Emelia, I dare say you are the most stunning woman I have ever seen.

I blushed at his compliments. "It's all makeup."

"My team is the best, but they couldn't make anyone look as beautiful as you do now. How do you do it?"

"Your team?" I asked, confused. "I thought Lily…"

"Ah, I sent them on break." He put a finger to his lips as if it was a secret. "They were good, but they wanted to use magic. Something that was wholly unnecessary for you, my dear."

I blushed once again. "Why didn't they…?"

"Talk?" he finished for me. "I told them not to. I could see that you were so willing to please everyone else that you would let yourself down, so, I gave them specific instruction to have you be the only voice in deciding on what you wanted."

I threw my arms around him. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Renaldi." He kissed each of my cheeks and lifted my chin with his finger. "Now, give 'em hell." He spun me toward the stairs.

**A/N: I realize that the discussion with Leo was not that long. This is due to the fact that I would like a longer, more adequate confrontation between the two- one that has proper scene time. I also just wanted the quick call to introduce the idea that maybe Emelia does not let Gran know about the charade. Perhaps she runs with it for as far as she can, hoping Gran never knows. What do you think?**


	16. Galas and Distractions

**A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long on this most recent update! I had a few difficulties with my account and I just got a little off with the posting. But! I am super excited to share this new chapter with you guys. I'd consider it the precursor to the turning point in the story (if that makes any sense). A lot of hints at what's to come (as well as some fluff). **

**So, enjoy and let me know what you think! **

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><p>I descended carefully, clutching my dress to keep from tripping on it, and kept my eyes in front of me. I couldn't mess up all of the work that Giorgio's team had done. I could hear voices at the bottom of the stair case and I paused midway down, nervous.<p>

"Go," Giorgio whispered excitedly behind me. I turned to see him still on the top landing, giving me the thumbs up. I smiled and turned back around to finish my descent, a little more confident of myself.

I took one more step before I heard several gasps. I looked up - er, down, being that I was halfway up a staircase - into several pairs of eyes. James' family was stood around at the bottom, looking up at me.

James and Lily had their backs to me, but the other three members all stared at me. Lily noticed their expressions and turned to look at what they were gasping over. She too gave a small inhale upon seeing me and I hoped it wasn't because she noticed that I wasn't wearing her dress.

James was the last to turn, having been messing around on his mobile. When he realised that his family had all gone quiet, he looked up at them before whirling to face me. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. I gave him a small smile before descending the rest of the way.

He started climbing to meet me a few steps before the bottom. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me down on to the step with him. Even in my heels, he was still just a bit taller than me.

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked quietly. I looked up into his eyes, hoping they wouldn't hide the truth like his words could.

He began to nod his head slowly, then switched to shaking it haltingly.

I chuckled. "What's the matter, James?" I ran a finger down his chest, my touch light. "Hippogriff got your tongue?" I asked teasingly, my makeover giving me new confidence.

He swallowed and tried to say something, but only managed to open and close his mouth soundlessly.

"I could let you borrow mine," I whispered, leaning in. I brought my lips mere centimeters from his, indicating just what I meant. His breathing hitched and his hands tightened on my hips, but he didn't break eye contact with me. I was having a fun time playing around.

"Emelia," he choked out.

"Yes?" I asked innocently, still at a dangerously close proximity.

"Alright, you two! Come on, we have a gala to get to," Lily interrupted with a mock chide.

I laughed and linked my arm through James', pulling us down the last of the stairs.

Ginny approached me and kissed my cheeks. "Emelia, you look gorgeous, dear."

Harry stepped next to his wife. "James is a lucky man, Emelia." He winked at me.

"Emelia, er, you look… er, nice," Albus fumbled through his compliment. I stepped toward him and gently kissed his cheek by way of thanks.

Lily wrapped her arms around me and squeezed lightly. "You were so right. This dress if perfect," she said into my hair.

"Thank you, Lily. And you look absolutely stunning, as always."

"Okay, kids, if we are all ready, your mother would like to get pictures together." Harry got us all moving toward the back door.

James stopped me, letting his family go ahead. "You really are breathtaking, Emelia Elizabeth." He looked at me, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you. And you don't look half-bad yourself," I joked.

He snorted. "I look hot." There was the James I knew. The broody one was no fun.

"Mmmmm…I suppose," I pretended to think about it. I shrugged noncommittally and started for the back door again.

He really did look perfect though, as long as we were on the subject. His hair was still tousled as it usually is, but now it was more styled and looked as if he had taken time to make it perfectly messy yet tame. His tuxedo fit perfectly, hinting at his strong frame beneath. His chocolate brown eyes melted and his teeth gleamed when he smiled. He was the male model from every girl's dreams.

"Oi!" He caught up to me and grabbed me about my waist. "You take that back!"

I giggled at his tickling. "Alright! I take it back!"

He didn't stop. "Uh uh, not this time. I'm not falling for that again. Say that you really mean it!"

"I really mean it!" I gasped out. He stopped tickling me, but did not remove his hands, making sure I didn't go back on my word. I looked him straight in the eyes. "James, you look unbelievably hot right now."

"Thank you," he smirked.

I reached up to fix his bow-tie. It had gone askew during our messing around. I only then became aware of the cameras clicking around me.

"You two are the most perfect thing I have seen all day!" Lily pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

I smiled up at James. "Let's go take some pictures and get this party started, yeah?"

Several photographers had been hired by Ginny and Lily to document the occasion. They posed us in a variety of ways. We took whole group shots, then couples shots, then James' family took some by themselves, and finally, the kids took shots of all three of them together.

When I thought that we were ready to wrap it up, Lily insisted we take "sister" shots and some by ourselves. We even got Ginny to come over for a girls only photo.

Contented with the number of potential pictures the photographers had captured, Ginny ushered us all back inside so we could leave for the gala. Ginny and Harry instructed us all on where we would be going before dissapparating. Lily linked her arm through Albus' and they too were off.

I was about to leave myself when James reached a hand out to stop me. "Are you ready for this?" His brow was furrowed as he scrutinized my face. "There's going to be paparazzi here. Loads of 'em."

I froze. "More than the hospital?"

He nodded gravely at me. I let out a shuddering breath. "It's okay if you don't want to do this anymore, Remy."

"Why, Mr. Potter, are you trying to stand me up?" I joked lightly.

"Remy, I'm serious. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to," he said fiercely.

Why now? Why try and protect me now? He certainly wanted me to pretend to be his girlfriend whether I wanted to or not when this first started. I didn't understand this man one bit.

I smiled angelically. "Because, if you are, trying to stand me up, that is, Lily has informed me that there are several eligible and '_yummy'_ men that will be attending this evening. Perhaps, one of them would agree to sharing the evening with me…" I tapped a finger to my chin thoughtfully.

James rolled his eyes. "Just get over here." He pulled me to his side and took us to the gala.

As soon as we arrived, there were camera bulbs going off everywhere. It was just as bad as James had described, maybe even worse. I couldn't see where we were, let alone where I was supposed to be going.

What I assumed was James' arm around my waist pulled me forward, through the crowd of paparazzi. He guided me, my face tucked to his chest, through the flashes and into the main entrance.

When I finally looked up, all traces of ravenous reporters were gone and instead were replace by vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. Various paintings adorned the walls and gold glittered in almost every aspect of the foyer we were currently standing in.

James escorted me around for the first part of the evening, introducing me to various people, almost all of whom gave their congratulations on our engagement. Every woman asked to see my ring…and every man was subsequently reprimanded for not buying their wives a ring like mine.

We were asked several times to tell the story of how we met, how I knew he was the one, where we were getting married, if we wanted to start a family. The barrage of questions from the Wotters could never compare to this night.

I went along with it, glued to James' side, smiling and laughing through it. And, for the most part, I enjoyed myself. I met so many great people and had more than a few quality conversations. A few people even asked about my charity work and offered to donate to the organizations.

As the evening bloomed, James asked me to dance. The band was playing a particularly slow song so James turned towards me, his hands on my waist, and rocked lightly with me. I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, but he was standing at such an awkwardly far distance that I couldn't. He looked like he didn't want to get too close to me.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, looking up at him.

"Dancing." He shrugged.

"Are you in primary? Have you never danced with a girl before?" I asked.

"I have," he hissed. "I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable..Your personal space and, er…"

I grabbed his lapels and pulled him closer to me. rolling my eyes. "Get over here." He was sufficiently close enough to dance with properly now so I wrapped my arms around his neck. I raised my eyebrows at him, asking if he understood what to do now.

His heard jerked up ad down in a strained nod. He intentionally kept his eyes from meeting mine as he stared at something just over my head and kept his hands high as well with them awkwardly resting more around my lower ribcage. His jaw was set firmly.

I sighed, exasperated, and tugged his hands lower, guiding them to the small of my back. He flinched and pulled his hands away as if burned when he felt my bare skin beneath them. I shot him a meaningful look and he replaced them slowly.

"It's not very convincing if you refuse to touch me," I said in a low tone.

Eventually, he relaxed into it. When I went to rest my head against his chest, it was not as taught and rigid as it was when we first started. I swayed slowly with James, watching the Wizarding World's rich and famous shmooze and gossip, knowing that I was probably part of some of the gossip of tonight. And how strange a concept it was to go from making an impact without making a sound to impacting the lot of society - or what seemed like it anyway - through flash and bang.

A strong hand appeared on my shoulder. I turned my head to find the Minister of Magic standing there.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Ms. Renaldi." He smiled at me. "May I cut in?" He held his hand out.

I obliged, separating from James and placing my hand in the Ministers. He led me during a less comfortable, more proper dance than the one James and I shared.

"You have caused quite the buzz, my dear," Kingsley said conversationally.

I bit my lip, waiting for some sort of reprimand.

"I must say, from what I've heard, the buzz is warranted. You appear to be a very upstanding young woman, Miss Renaldi." He thought a moment and then continued, "We need more witches like you, honest and genuine. Especially now, with the…" He looked down at me, considering if he should finish. "You do know, don't you?"

Was he referring to the Ministry's secret about the murders recently?

He guessed by my expression that I did indeed know. "Ah, well, not such a well kept secret. We plan to tell everyone within the week, you know. Though, they were starting to piece it together themselves anyway."

The silence after this stretched on for a bit. I listened to the band play as I let Kingsley guide me. Suddenly, he spoke again. "They've forgotten now that you're here." I snapped from my thoughts. "Your engagement is something newer, better…shinier. Something more exciting for them to latch on to. Everyone is focused on you."

I blushed and looked down. I didn't like to think about all of the attention this was bringing me.

The minister smiled down at me. "It makes our jobs easier…No one tries to interfere with the investigation because no one remembers there even was one in the first place. Nobody panics. Nobody is desperate or going mad trying to protect themselves. Everybody is looking at you."

I scanned the room quickly, nervous about his statement, though I know that he hadn't meant it literally. Only a few pairs of eyes met mine, but they quickly shifted away once the contact was made.

"You and your fiancé have been very…beneficial to us, Ms. Renaldi, to all of us."

The questions I wanted to ask swirled on the tip of my tongue. Beneficial? Us? What was he trying to say? My eyes conveyed every single one as he looked into them.

"Mm, perhaps…We shall continue this conversation another time." He stepped away and bowed. Kissing my hand, he turned and disappeared into the crowd of dancing couples.

Almost immediately, James stepped forward and brought me to him once more. "What was that about?" he leaned in to whisper.

I shrugged, too apprehensive to say anything. Kingsley had me on edge now with his talk of being watched. I could hardly focus on moving my feet for focusing on the possibility of being watched.

"Let's go home." James murmured next to my ear.

"We haven't had dinner yet."

"I'll get us some take away," he said simply.

"I meant that it would be rude to leave now," I explained, keeping him in place so he couldn't escape.

"I think they would be understanding." He smirked at me and lowered his hands to rest just above my bum.

My eyes widened at the bold move.

He leaned in, bringing his lips a breath apart from mine.

"A newly engaged couple."

He turned his head, trailing his nose lightly down to the base of my neck.

"A man with a fiancée that looks utterly irresistible."

He placed his lips on my collarbone and I fought to contain my blush. People must be staring.

"A fiancée that is easily the most gorgeous girl in attendance."

This time, his hands moved to cup my bum. He squeezed lightly. He nipped softly at my ear with his teeth and I stepped away slightly.

"I think they would be understanding," he said again. Suddenly I saw what he was playing at and I decided to go along. It was clear James wanted to leave and could not do so without me.

I pulled him closer to me again, grinding my hips against his. Two could play at this game. "Mmmm, they might mind still. We are quite a popular subject tonight," I whispered.

He recovered from the shock of my body pressed to his and brought one of his hands up to play with my hair. "We can make those old birds talk a little more if you want…" he suggested.

"And how would you propose we do that?" I asked innocently, running my hand down his chest. I cocked my head to the side and looked up at him with doe eyes.

He growled lowly, but it was his only response. He brought his lips to just below my ear, not necessarily kissing my skin, but probably making it look like he was. I stretched my neck to give him better access.

He shifted his face after a bit so that his forehead was resting against mine as he looked at me expectantly, his eyebrow raised. He wanted to know if it was enough.

I shook my head, smiling sweetly. "No, we better stay. Wouldn't want to disappoint. Hardly anyone is looking at us, but they'll be searching for us later," I practically sang. James was visibly put out.

"Emelia." His tone was a warning, but I just laughed. "Fine."

I smiled broadly at my victory and moved to unwind my body from his. James hadn't planned on the battle being over, however, and held me fast. He pulled his fingers through my hair and smashed his lips against mine, snogging me passionately.

I blinked, surprised by the turn, before realizing I probably looked a right idiot just standing there being kissed. I closed my eyes and kissed back, waiting for James' signal that it was over.

Only because he probably needed to breathe, James broke away. I slowly opened my eyes, dazed, to see him still extremely close. I could feel his uneven, panting breaths across my face.

"Think they'll get the picture now?" I nodded, dumbfounded.

He began to tow me back toward the entrance so we could leave. His uncle Ron stepped in front of us before we made it there, demanding I dance with him.

"Sorry, mate," James said breathlessly. "Not now." James decided I wasn't moving fast enough for his liking and scooped me up in his arms.

"James!" I cried, taken aback.

"Save that for later, love." He smirked at me and pushed past Mr. Weasley.

As soon as was possible, James apparated us back to his parents' house. He set me down before jumping over the back of the couch and flopping down on the cushions face first.

"Thadwsmbldytohcha," he grumbled into the couch cushions.

"Come again?"

He lifted his head slightly and said again, "That was bloody torture."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't be such a baby."

"You try wearing one of these monkey suits and see how your evening goes," he pouted.

"You know, maybe you're right. I bet that suit just made your evening awful. Every single young girl there had their eyes glued to you. You had to fend off several who asked you to dance and oblige the better looking ones. And on top of it, you had to dance with me for a good portion of the evening," I raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"That's not what I meant," he glowered at me. I walked around the back of the couch and reached down to run my fingers through his hair.

"I know," I murmured. "I'm sorry you had to spend your evening like that. At least, its almost over." James didn't reply as I kept massaging his head. "James? Come on, we should get you upstairs before you fall asleep on this couch." This time he groaned.

"Yes. Now move it, mister." I put my hands on my hips and gave him my sternest Gran-look.

"Merlin, we need to work on your intimidation factor." He looked cheekily up at me.

Showing no signs of amusement, I pointed towards the stairs.

He sat up, raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm going." He trudged up the stairs as I followed behind.

Upon entering his room, he unceremoniously flopped down on to his bed much as he had done on the couch when we arrived back.

I sighed. "James, come on. You need to take your tux off, hon."

He flipped over enough to look at me. "Did you just…" He scrunched his nose a bit. "Did you call me 'hon'?"

I blushed a little at my slip. I normally called a lot of people I was familiar with 'hon' or 'sweetie' or some other pet name that I liked; a side effect from my job as a nurse. I called almost everyone I knew 'hon', but I had never called James 'hon' because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Sorry," I apologized, shrugging. "Habit."

He sprawled out again, completely ignoring my suggestion that he take his tux off.

I pursed my lips as I decided what I should do. He really shouldn't be sleeping in it. Finally, I marched over and attempted to drag him off the bed. Unfortunately, he was a little too heavy for this route. All I succeeded in was removing his dress shoes. I fell back with a small "oomph", landing on my bum.

I could see James' body shaking slightly as he laughed at me. "James, stop it! This isn't funny! Your mum will have your head if you ruin that!" I tried a different approach: scare tactics.

James stopped shaking, considering this information. Attempting what I interpreted as a shrug, he continued to lay face down on his bed.

I growled in frustration. I marched over to the bed and forcefully turned James over. He blinked, shocked at the occurrence. "It's really not that hard," I tried to maintain my patience as I looked pointedly at him.

He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to figure out his next move. Slowly, he began to roll back over, maintaining eye contact the whole time. I quickly got on the bed and kneeled with my knees on either side of his hips to keep him on his back. My plan, however, was not well thought out as he just more or less scooted himself to be able to roll over.

I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back, sitting on his hips this time to keep him down. My weight was probably nothing compared to what it would take to subdue him, but it did the trick. James froze, staring wide-eyed at me.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, just as James had just done. James reached for my hips, ready to move me off of him. I pushed his hands away and resolutely kept in my position. If he wanted to be stubborn, so could I. James frowned.

After a moment, he relaxed and smirked up at me. The git was just going to lay there until I got tired of sitting on him.

"You are impossible!" I said in disbelief. If it was at all possible, I would have said that his smirk got even smirk-ier. I smiled wickedly as an idea came to me. James' confidence visibly faltered. "Alright. I'll do it myself," I said simply.

I quickly charmed his arms to be stuck to the bed, almost as if weighted down, and a magical gag in his mouth. I kneeled, my dress pushed up around mid-thigh, so that I had access to his belt and began to undo it.

James' hips bucked as he tried to get me off. This time, it was my turn to smirk at him.

After the belt was undone, I started fumbling with the actual trouser clasps. I could hear James' elevated breathing from his efforts to stop me.

I was in the process of yanking his trousers down when the door to his bedroom slammed open.

My head whipped in the direction of the noise as did James'. There stood Lily and Albus Potter, both looking shocked.

This may or may not be one of those awkward, innuendo times, I thought to myself. Only, this wasn't really an innuendo. This was me, straddling James on his bed, pulling his clothes off as he panted through his gag.

"Er, sorry. We…Sorry!" Albus stumbled through an explanation.

"Don't just stand there, idiot!" Lily grabbed her brother's arm and shoved him down the hall. She then winked at me and closed the door.

I turned my gaze to James, sufficiently embarrassed. Slowly, I slid off of him and sat at the end of the bed. I undid my charms.

"Gah!" he gasped, free of the semi-silencing charm. "You are wicked, woman."

I bit my lip and waited for him to bring up what just happened. Instead, he finished taking off his tux. And, while he had complied with my earlier request, he ended up throwing every piece of his now removed tux on the floor.

I quietly stepped off the bed and retrieved his clothes from the floor. "Where are you going?" James asked. "Isn't this what you wanted?" He was laying casually on the bed in his boxers.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. I'm glad he wasn't making the situation awkward.

"Ouch, Remy. My ego has been seriously and repeatedly wounded since I met you."

"It needs it," I called over my shoulder as I went to hang his tux. I took my time hanging up the different pieces, thinking of what I was going to do now. James didn't seem at all concerned with the fact that his siblings had just seen us in a very compromising position. It most likely just helped reinforce the ruse of our engagement.

When I emerged, James was still lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I stood in the doorway of his wardrobe, just looking at him.

He honestly was a great guy once you got to know him. He was a little rough around the edges, still a little impulsive and charmingly childish, but I didn't think him so immature now. He was just …excitable and ...care-free.

I decided I liked how care-free he was.

I was sorry that he had to be a part of this, even though he started it (I snorted at how childish I sounded just then). Neither of us should have to do this, but, at least I had the good fortune to go through it with a nice guy. James could have been as much of a jerk as I first thought he might be and I would not have been able to say no anyway and still ended up being joined to him for a few days. I sighed. So it wasn't an ideal situation, but it would be over soon.

James looked up at my sigh and patted the bed next to him, wanting me to come over. I sat down gently on the edge of the mattress and smiled tiredly at him. I reached over and began carding my fingers through his hair as I had on the couch. He closed his eyes and smiled contentedly.

Should I bring up the break up now? In past, he became agitated whenever we started to discuss it…but we couldn't avoid it forever, now, could we?

"I should go home," I said quietly, combing through his locks.

"Mmmm, you don't have to," he mumbled, falling asleep.

"Are you inviting me to stay the night?" I murmured, not entirely serious about the question.

"You never need an invitation. You're always welcome."

"Is that so…" I mused quietly. James had fallen off to sleep, unable to respond. I looked down at him and brushed a few stray pieces of hair from his forehead. What was I supposed to do?

Tomorrow, then. We could talk about the plan tomorrow.

I changed into a pair of Lily's leggings that I had thrown in the wardrobe from earlier and a long-sleeve t-shirt of James'. I removed all of my makeup with a simple cleansing spell and pulled the pins out of my hair to let it fall loose.

I grabbed an extra blanket from the hall wardrobe and threw it over the top of James. Though I couldn't lift him to get him underneath his own blankets, I managed to move him over enough so that I could wiggle beneath them. As soon as I was settled in, James' arms snaked around me and pulled me to him. I let myself be comforted by his warmth and snuggled into his chest.


End file.
